


Guardian of Gaia

by Zaikia



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Aftercare, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Black Materia is an Asshole, But a Likeable Asshole, Cloud Strife is Protective, Cuddling & Snuggling, Domestic Fluff, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Family Fluff, First Kiss, Flashbacks, Forehead Kisses, Gamer Into Another Universe, Gentle Sex, Kissing, Monsters, Multi, Neck Kissing, Oral Sex, Overstimulation, Romantic Fluff, Rufus Shinra is an Asshole, Sane Sephiroth (Compilation of FFVII), Sephiroth is a Gentleman, Slow Build, Slow Romance, The Remnants call Shelby Sister, Tifa Lockhart is Protective, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Top Sephiroth (Compilation of FFVII), Vaginal Fingering, Vaginal Sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-01
Updated: 2019-10-08
Packaged: 2020-11-08 17:37:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 27,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20839412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zaikia/pseuds/Zaikia
Summary: Killed in a car accident, a young woman is saved by Minerva, the Goddess of the planet Gaia. Shell becomes the new guardian of Gaia, which is a huge responsibility due to what all she knows. Thing is, Shell's from a different dimension. Now how is she going to react when she meets characters and people, including a silver-haired man? Takes place just a couple months after Dirge of Cerberus.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This fanfic has been on Fanfiction.net for years now, but I actually wanted to upload what I have so far. It has 13 chapters so far. So I'll update it till chapter 13 every 2-3 days? Something like that.

They say that death is the end of your physical life. But as for your soul, they say it goes on and on, different with each reincarnation, sometimes the same features and all. Sometimes you can look completely different, or you can look the same as you did to the person before. Death is not always painful. Death can be painless and beautiful, the most beautiful thing in the world. 

A lot of people aren't ready to die. 

Myself included. I suppose I should start out with how this whole thing started. 

It started with a car. 

I had been driving along the Golden Gate bridge for a booking, of course, for my new novel that I had just published the week before. I'm an author and being only 21, I've gotten pretty famous. It's nice, but I'm not the type to go brag and brag about how great I am like I know some authors do. I write mostly horror and/or supernatural, once or twice I've written about fantasy or the like. It's really nice to have a lot of money and not have to worry about financial problems. 

It was just a normal day. 

That's when a car in the other lane lost control and swerved into the lane I was in, crashing right into my car. It threw me a bit ways, causing my face to collide with the steering wheel and glass to fly against me.. Everything stopped and I groaned, lifting my head from the steering wheel. Blood seeped from a cut on my temple, along with other various cuts on my face and neck. 

I had looked up to the side, only to watch as a semi slammed into me and then pushed me right over the broken railing, sending me down to the water below. I didn't get any time to react as the vehicle hit the water full force, jerking me violently. I coughed as the car began to fill up with water and lifted my head, getting as much air as I could before I was fully submerged in the cold water. 

I pulled on the handle of the door, only realizing that the doors had been jammed. I banged at the window as hard as I could, holding my breath as long as I could. I couldn't die here! 

I lost control of myself and my lips parted, allowing water in and filling my lungs. I felt my chest tightening up, my heart pounding against my chest. I began to feel dizzy and my vision was starting to blur. 

I was dying. 

_No......_I thought, trying to gasp, but only more water filled my lungs. Next thing I knew, my eyes closed and I went slack as my last breath left me. 

That's all I saw and felt was cold and dark. Was this what death felt like? The afterlife? If there really was one. I found myself opening my eyes slowly and I seemed to be sinking into an endless darkness, my hair flowing around me. Suddenly, I saw a faint light in front of me and a woman's hand reached out to me. 

_“Take it.”_ a woman's voice, sweet as silk, said to me. 

My hand twitched and I slowly reached up, struggling to grasp the woman's hand. Then, I finally was able to grasp the hand and with a strong, yet firm grip, I was pulled out of the sinking darkness and found myself in a beautiful green-like area. There were fields all around me and there was a green river close by. I looked around, wondering where I was. For some unknown reason, this place seemed familiar to me. 

“You're in the Lifestream.” the same voice from before spoke. 

I turned around, seeing a beautiful young woman around my age. She was a little bit shorter than me and had long, brown hair pulled back into a braid, with a pink ribbon tied right where her hair came from. She had deep green eyes and a smile on her face. She wore a pink shin-length dress and a red jacket, along with brown shoes. 

My eyes widened. 

“You're....” I whispered. 

She smiled more. “You know who I am, Shell.” 

“Aerith....h...how do you know my name...?” I asked her, confused, surprised, shocked. I was all of those emotions. 

“I've known your name since you drowned. The Goddess told me to help you.” Aerith replied and she held out her hand to me. “Come with me, I want to show you something.” 

Still at all my emotions, I took her hand, wanting to know what was going on exactly. Aerith's skin was soft to the touch. She led me along the green river. “We know you are from an entirely different dimension and we know that you know everyone. We thought it would be best if we picked someone who knew about the world, and yet, had never been here before.” She explained to me. 

“So you only picked me because I'm practically an expert?” I asked her. 

Aerith nodded. “It's time we had another Guardian.” 

“Guardian?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. 

“Yes, a Guardian is a person who wields the power to protect the Planet. There are no more Cetra, but I am still a great influence, even from here in the Lifestream.” She replied. “So.....we decided it would be best if we picked someone to be a Guardian to the Planet, a protector. Someone who will protect the Planet no matter what.” 

I took in her words, listening to them. It seemed like a pretty big responsibility. Could I do it? Or would it be too hard for me? “It seems like a really big responsibility...” I said. 

Aerith chuckled a bit. “I know and that's why I believe you can do it.” 

I thought about it for what seemed like an hour, but it was only minutes. “I suppose I could do it....” I nodded. 

She smiled and suddenly pulled me in close, kissing my cheek softly. “I know you can. Here.” She placed something warm and round into my hand. I looked down, opening my hand more and gasped when I saw a large, marble like object. 

Materia. 

But....it was white. 

“Aerith-.” 

“Take it. You'll need it more than I do.” She said with a soft smile. “It belongs to you now. Shell....you need to find a lot of items.” She squeezed my shoulder gently and then without warning, gently pushed me back and I found myself falling backwards. I fell backwards into a river, but not the same one that was green. This one was more white. I seemed to be sinking, like I did into the endless darkness. 

_“Help them.”_

And then I fell. 

…..............................

When I opened my hazel eyes, slowly, as if I had been asleep for a long time. I seemed to be laying on something soft as well and something brushed across my face. I moved my head away to get away from whatever was touching me, but it brushed across my nose this time. I opened my eyes fully, seeing flowers in front of me. 

“Huh?” 

I grunted softly as I sat up, wincing and holding my left arm against my chest. I then realized it was broken. I looked around my surroundings, finding myself in a worn down, but beautiful church. I was sitting in a small area of flowers, right under a hole above me. I squinted as rays of sunshine came down, brightening up the church. 

The church oddly looked familiar. 

I slowly stood up, sliding the White Materia into the pocket of my jacket. I coughed slightly, feeling cold. As I walked a couple steps, I realized what church I was in. “Oh....no.....I'm HERE....” I whispered, my eyes widening. That's when I felt a massive pain suddenly erupt in my forehead, as if someone was banging a hammer against my forehead. “A-aggghhh...!” I fell to my knees, gasping and groaning in pain. I felt something trickle down from my forehead and felt it with my good hand. 

When I pulled my hand back, my eyes widened as I saw a black liquid dripping from my face. “G-geostigma...” I gasped, the world becoming blurry. I fell onto my side, my vision going black. 

There was the sound of doors opening and a small gasp. “Tifa!” 

My vision cleared up a bit, but it was incredibly blurry. I saw two females running towards me and the larger female put a hand on my shoulder. “Are you okay?” 

That was the last thing I heard before letting out a sigh and going unconscious. 

…...............................

**Third Person POV**

“Tifa!” 

The young woman heard Marlene's gasp and the call of her name. Her soft, red eyes glanced ahead of them and she was surprised to see another young woman, possibly just a couple years younger than Tifa herself. She was lying on her side, eyes barely open. Tifa rushed over to her, Marlene close behind. Tifa put her hand on the woman's shoulder, eyes full of concern. “Are you okay?” She asked. 

Tifa then heard the young woman sigh and her eyes closed completely as she went limp. Tifa checked for a pulse, finding one. Tifa didn't understand. Who was this woman? She had long, dark brown hair, like Tifa herself, but it was longer, reaching her thighs. Most of her bangs hid her face and she noticed something was on the girl's skin. 

Tifa brushed the girl's bangs away from her face and gasped when she saw it. 

The stigma. 

“She has the stigma....” Marlene said softly, looking over at Tifa. 

Tifa pursed her lips, looking down at the girl again. She just couldn't bear the thought of leaving this sick girl here. She could die. “Stand back, Marlene.” Tifa said and picked up the girl very easily, lifting her onto her back and situating her. 

“Do you think we can help her?” Marlene asked. 

“I hope so.” Tifa replied softly, before she and Marlene left, going back to 7th Heaven.


	2. Chapter 2

Back at the bar, Tifa closed it for the remainder of the day. It was only late afternoon, but she had the young girl to tend to for a while. She let Marlene go play with Denzel while she tended to the girl. Upon examining her and cleaning her up, Tifa saw that the stigma had covered most of her left arm and up the left side of her face and to her forehead. 

Tifa didn't find any form of identification on her, except a single, white round object the same size as a normal Materia. “Why does this seem so familiar...?” She said softly to herself, putting the object on the stand next to the bed. She put the girl's broken arm in a sling after using the best Cure Materia on it. It would only take mere days to heal with that now. Tifa put the girl in a pair of her own clothes, a simple pair of black shorts and a black tank top. She pursed her lips and looked over the younger woman more closely. She couldn't have been much younger than herself, maybe one or two years younger. Her hair was long, probably as long as a certain somebody Tifa used to know. 

Tifa nearly jumped when she heard the telephone ring. 

“I got it!” Marlene called and Tifa heard the pit-patter of the little girl's feet as she ran to answer the phone. “Hello? Tifa, it's Cloud!” she called upstairs to the older woman. 

Tifa looked down at the younger girl and got up, touching her cheek softly. She wanted to be sure the girl was going to be alright. Tifa left the room and patted Marlene on the head as the little girl gave her the phone. “Hey, Cloud.” 

_“Hey, Tifa. How are things going over there?”_ Cloud's voice asked. There was some weariness behind his voice. 

“They're alright. What about you? You sound tired.” Tifa said. 

_“The monsters over here by Kalm have been a bit overwhelming. We found nesting areas near the coast and the mountains. It seems it's probably just after mating season.”_ Cloud replied. 

“You be careful, okay? The last thing you need is to lose an arm.” Tifa joked. 

Cloud actually gave a soft, tired chuckle. 

“Cloud, something happened earlier today....there was a girl in the church. She has the stigma.” Tifa said softly. 

Cloud was silent for a long moment. “Did she say anything?” 

“No, she passed out before she could say anything. I found something on her person. It's Materia size and shaped, but it's white. It seems awfully familiar too.” Tifa replied, trying to think on where she had seen the Materia at. 

_“Tifa...was it pure white?”_

“Yes.” 

_“I....if I'm correct, that's the White Materia that Aerith carried before...she died. It fell into the water.”_

“Then if it fell into the water...why does this girl have it?” Tifa asked. 

Cloud sounded suspicious when he spoke again. _“I'm not sure, it sounds iffy to me. Just keep an eye on her and if she wakes up before I come back, ask her where she got it. I have to go, Tifa. I'll be home in a day or two.”_

“Alright, Cloud. Be careful, alright?” 

_“I will. I'll see you soon.”_

“See you soon.” Tifa hung up and looked down as Marlene held her hand. “Everything's alright, Marlene. Cloud will be home in a day or two.” 

“What are we going to do about the pretty girl upstairs?” She asked, curious. 

“I'm not sure. Hopefully we'll find out who she is, soon.” Tifa said, nodding. 

0000000000000000000

The first thing I felt was the very, very faint pain I felt in my forehead and going all the way down my neck, to my shoulder and down my left arm. I slowly opened my eyes, blinking sleepily. I first saw the ceiling above me. I turned my head to the left, seeing a small end table with a lamp on it and the White Materia sitting on it. There was also a closed door. I slowly sat up, wincing and holding my arm against my chest. 

I knew I was in a home of sorts, though I didn't know whose home I was in. The last thing I had seen was Tifa coming towards me, worry in her dark red eyes. I shook my head, closing my own hazel ones. My head was throbbing and I didn't know how long I had been out. Right as I thought that, I heard two sets of footsteps coming from behind the closed door. 

“I checked on her earlier, she wasn't awake.” a woman's voice said softly. 

“It doesn't mean she isn't awake now.” a man's voice said. 

I watched as the door opened and my eyes widened slightly at who opened the door. Tall and spiky, blonde hair and blue eyes. I would recognize the spiky blonde hair from anywhere. “See Tifa, she's awake.” He spoke, looking to the woman next to him. 

Tifa came in first, giving me a soft smile. “Hi there, nice to see that you're awake.” She came over to my bedside and pulled up a chair to sit down next to me. “My name is Tifa and this is Cloud. What's your name?” 

“......Shell.” I replied quietly. 

“Are you hungry?” Tifa asked gently. 

I nodded, feeling my stomach churn at it's emptiness. Tifa took my hand and helped me out of bed, not noticing me swiping the White Materia off the end table and slipping it into my pocket. I knew she didn't notice, but I wasn't sure if Cloud did or not. I was also pretty sure he was suspicious of me. Tifa took me downstairs and sat me down at the bar as she went into the kitchen to make something for me. 

I fiddled with the White Materia in my pocket and felt that I was being watched. I glanced up slightly and noticed Cloud's blue eyes were watching me closely. I looked down, not liking his gaze on me. It was about a half hour later that Tifa came out with a plate of breakfast for me and a fork. “Here you go.” She said, placing the plate down in front of me. 

I thanked her and ate slowly so I wouldn't upset my stomach. Once I was done eating, I put my fork down and put my hand back in my pocket, fiddling with the White Materia. 

“Do you want to explain who you are?” Cloud asked me. 

“Cloud...” Tifa said softly. 

“I already told you my name.” I said, my eyes darting off to the side. 

“Where did you come from?” 

“....Mideel.” 

“Mideel is too far from here. You would have died from the journey. Tell us the truth.” Cloud demanded. 

“Cloud!” Tifa scolded. 

“You wouldn't believe me if I told you.” I sighed, gripping the White Materia in my hand. 

“Try me.” 

Fine, he wanted me to tell him, fine. So I did. I told him how I was from another dimension and that everything here was just fictional back in my world. I told him of how Aerith gave me the White Materia and that I was the new guardian of Gaia. 

“So....you're here to protect the planet?” Tifa asked me, surprised by my answer. 

“Yea, make sure nothing happens to it. Y'know, try and stop any threats, all that jazz.” I said, taking a sip of my juice. I brought out the White Materia, holding it in the palm of my hand. “Aerith gave me this....she said the time of the Cetra was over and that it was time for the Guardian to do their job of protecting the planet.” 

“By what sort of threats do you mean?” Cloud asked. 

“Oh, the usual. Enemies, Jenova, giant monsters and big meteors trying to destroy the planet.” I replied. I didn't tell him that a goal of mine was to save Sephiroth from Jenova's control. I hated that fucking bitch so much. She brainwashed him...

“What of Sephiroth?” 

I looked up from my drink and to Cloud. I shrugged. “Who knows.” I mumbled and took a sip of my drink. “If he does happen to come back, I'll deal with him.” 

“Don't be stupid. He'll just kill you.” Cloud said firmly. 

I rolled my eyes and sniffed, not saying anything else. Cloud didn't ask anymore questions and left after he told Tifa he was going to the church. I sighed and sipped my juice, putting my glass down once it was empty. 

“Don't worry about Cloud...he's not...trusting around people he doesn't know.” Tifa said. 

“Isn't that always though?” I asked. 

Tifa nodded. “I do have a question....what will you do if Sephiroth comes back?” 

“Well, if he does, I plan to try and help him. I don't give a rat's ass of what Cloud says. Sephiroth had been brainwashed by that bitch.” I said. 

“Who?” Tifa looked confused. 

I sighed and rubbed the back of my neck. It was time to explain what really happened. The more I explained, the more surprised and shocked she looked. By the time I was done explaining, Tifa looked purely sympathetic, but also angry. “So....he killed my father because of Jenova?” 

“Yea, because Jenova is an alien bitch who thought it would be a good idea to pretend to be Sephiroth's mother. And Hojo is a lying motherfucker who wanted to control him.” I replied, not regretting my words at all. “So, if Jenova's control broke on Sephiroth, that means when and if he comes back, he'll probably be confused and back to his original self before Jenova took over. Which means, we have to get his REAL mother.” 

“Lucrecia Crescent...” Tifa said softly. 

I nodded. “And I want to take Vincent Valentine with us when we go.” 

“I'll call him up...and probably Cid so we can use the Highwind.” Tifa said. “The rest will probably start coming here by tomorrow.” 

“Yea....and I'll have to tell them everything. Which means, most of them aren't going to like what I have to say.” I sighed, rubbing my eyes. “Oh joy.” 

“It'll be alright....” Tifa said softly, giving me a kind smile. 

I surely hope so. I'm already not doing good with this Guardian job.


	3. Chapter 3

The next day I woke up like usual and Tifa helped me change my bandages. She also bandaged up my forehead and eye that way the stigma on my face couldn't be seen. She also bandaged my arm and since my not so broken arm wasn't broken anymore, that she took it out of the sling. It was sore, but I would be careful with it. 

“Do you want to help me with something today?” Tifa asked me. 

“I'll help with anything.” I nodded. 

“Marlene, Denzel, Cloud and I go to a small part of Midgar. A friend of ours, Shelke, will be joining us as well.” She replied. “We go there and help people who have been injured by monster attacks in the area. Do you want to join us?” 

I thought deeply for a moment, then nodded. It was better than staying here and letting my mind go crazy. We took about a half hour to get ready. Tifa had given me a pair of black jeans that hugged my legs, a gray t-shirt and shoes. She offered to pull my hair up for me, but I politely declined the offer. I didn't really like my hair being up. Shelke....Rui. This must be after Dirge of Cerberus. 

“What's the date?” I asked Tifa. 

“October 3rd, 0010.” Tifa replied and gave me a shoulder bag. “This has medical supplies, Items and Materia in it. There's a lot, but use them wisely.” 

I nodded and followed Tifa outside the bar. She locked it up once everyone else was outside. I blinked when I felt a small hand grab onto my right hand and glanced over to the side, seeing Marlene holding my hand. She smiled up at me and I gave a tiny smile back. I held her hand as we walked and eventually Denzel grabbed Marlene's other hand so I had a small chain of children hand holding. Tifa smiled at the scene, while Cloud looked somewhat surprised. 

I didn't say anything. 

It took us about a half hour to get to the destined area of Midgar and I saw many people injured and laying on beds in buildings. “Cloud and I are going to work on the adults. Why don't you, Marlene and Denzel help the children?” Tifa suggested to me. 

I shrugged. “Alright.” 

Tifa led me to the building where the children were located. There wasn't a lot of children, but still plenty to work on. Tifa introduced me to a young girl who couldn't have been any older than maybe 13. She had pale skin, light blue eyes that glowed and I instantly knew they were Mako eyes and short red hair with bangs that framed her face. She wore simple jeans, a tank top and brown boots. She was wheeling a tray of medical supplies. 

“Shelke, this is Shell. She's staying with us.” Tifa introduced us. 

Shelke held out her hand to me and I shook it gently. She gave a friendly smile. “Pleased to meet you, Shell. Today will be easy. We're just going to check injuries on the children and see what we can do to make them feel 100 percent better.” 

I nodded. Sounded easy enough. 

For the next few hours, I went around and helped children feeling better by healing their injuries. Most only had minor, or very few injuries, while very few were critical like broken limbs. Around two in the afternoon, I sat on the side to eat a couple sandwiches they were passing out for lunch. Shelke came over and sat next to me. 

“If you don't mind me asking...what happened to you?” Shelke asked me. 

“I was in an accident. I got burned.” I replied, thinking of that lie really quickly. “I don't really have a home...so Tifa was kind enough to let me stay with her until I get back on my feet.” 

“Tifa is really kind-hearted.” Shelke said softly. 

I nodded in agreement and watched as a few children ran out of the building, laughing. I narrowed my good eye a bit and stood up. “I'll go get them. Can you watch Marlene and Denzel?” I asked her and she nodded. I went after the children, seeing where they were going. I heard their laughter and then jumped when I heard their screams of fear. I ran to the scene and saw Guard Hounds surrounding the children, getting ready to pounce on them. There was at least five of them. 

“Shit.” I whispered and looked around quickly, finding a pipe with a jagged end. I picked it up, holding it with both hands. “Hey!” I whistled. 

The Guard Hounds turned their attention to me, all of them growling. “Yeah....come on. You got a meal waiting right here for you.” I taunted them, and took a step back as they all charged at me. The closest one leaped at me and I hit it across the head with the pipe. I hit another and another, slashing those two across their throats with the sharp, jagged end. The other gave me one look of fear and ran off. “Yeah, run off, cowards.” I said and dropped the pipe. 

The children were running off and a small girl yelped when she fell. She began crying softly and I glanced over to the side and saw the only Guard Hound left getting up. It shook my attack off and saw the fallen child, growling and then lunging right for her. I dropped the pipe and hurried to the child, my legs carrying me faster than the Guard Hound. I scooped up the child in my arms and cried out when claws raked down my back. I could already feel blood seeping from the gashes and rolling down my back. 

I fell to my knees, holding the child close against my chest. I wasn't going to let the Guard Hound get to her. The creature pounced on me, forcing me down as it clamped its jaws on my right shoulder, fangs digging deep into my flesh. I shook and gritted my teeth, trying to hold the child so it wouldn't take the child from my grasp. 

The Guard Hound's claws continued to rake down my sides and back, more blood flowing from the wounds. I heard a loud snarl and glanced up weakly to see another Guard Hound running towards us. 

We were fucked. 

To my complete and utter surprise, the Guard Hound tackled the one on my back, pinning it to the ground. I heard the screeches and growls and snarls and looked behind me the see the one pinned down by the second one clawing at the second one. The second one had the first one pinned by its neck and with turning its head, the second one broke the first one's neck with a crunch. 

I was confused, but I couldn't think about that right now. I winced as I got up and ran as quickly as I could back to the others with the child in my arms. She was crying and shaking. I got as close as I could to the building and let the child down. I felt really light-headed. 

All of a sudden, pain erupted in my head and I cried out, falling to my knees. I clutched my left hand to my forehead, bringing it back to see the stigma dripping through the bandages and into my hand. I saw flashes of things in my vision, something falling from the sky, a long katana slicing through the air....

Green eyes....with...

My vision blurred greatly and I fell onto my side as people ran towards me. All I heard was people calling my name before everything went black. 

0000000000000000000

_It is not yet time for slumber....we still have much work to do._

I scrunched my good eye, slowly opening it. I felt my face gently, letting out a small groan of pain. 

“Tifa, she's awake!” I heard Marlene's voice. 

I glanced over to the side, seeing that we were in a more private area of the building. I was laying on a cot with a blanket over me and a pillow under my head. I could feel the bandages on both of my shoulders and my arm and face. My back felt sore as well, but it didn't seem to be covered in bandages. There also seemed to be an extra weight on the bed besides myself. 

“How are you feeling?” Tifa asked me as she came over to my bedside. She pulled a chair up and sat down on it, looking at me with worry. 

“Sore.” I replied, rubbing my cheek gently. “How long was I out?”

“A few hours.” She replied softly and motioned her head by my other side. I glanced over and was surprised to see a Guard Hound sleeping right there, pressed up against my side. “She wouldn't leave your side and we tried to make her leave, but she'd just growl at us.”

“I think...she's the same one who killed that one who clawed up my back.” I said, gently placing my bandaged hand on the Guard Hound's head and rubbing her head. She stirred, and then woke up, yawning loudly. She looked at me with pretty, sky blue eyes and nudged my hand. “Yeah, yer the one who saved me and the kid.” I smiled softly, scratching behind her ear gently.

“Cloud said you can keep her as long as she doesn't cause any trouble. She'll need a collar as well.” Tifa said.

“Yeah.” I nodded in agreement and sat up with a soft groan.

“We healed up most of your back, but there's gonna be scars.” Tifa said, sadness in her voice.

I shrugged. “It's fine.”

“Shell,” I heard Cloud's voice as he came in. His mako, blue eyes seemed to glow strangely. He looked annoyed. “There's someone here to see you.” He said, stepping in and stepping to the side.

I heard footsteps and my good eye slightly widened as a man, probably just a few inches taller than Cloud, stepped in. I immediately frowned upon seeing the man. I recognized that white suit anywhere. He just like he did in Advent Children, except without the bandages. “Rufus Shinra...”

“And you must be the girl that people are starting rumors about.” The blonde spoke, a small smirk resting on his face. He looked to Cloud, Tifa and Marlene. “Would the three of you please step out?”

“I don't think so.” Cloud said. I was surprised with his forwardness. I thought he didn't like me.....at least a little bit. “We're not leaving.”

“We'll go.” Tifa said, taking Marlene's hand. Tifa honestly looked like she wanted to punch the smirk right off Rufus's face. I wouldn't blame her at all. She and Marlene left, shutting the door behind them.

The Guard Hound growled lowly at Rufus, but didn't lunge. I rubbed her head and glared at Rufus. “What do you want? And what rumors did you mean?”

“Since the Geostigma has been erased from the planet, it's very strange that a person such as yourself has it.” Rufus began. “Especially since it's been erased.”

“Your point?” I sighed.

“You shouldn't even be here.”

I looked up at him, then glanced at Cloud. Cloud seemed to be thinking deeply. He then nodded at me, thinking the same thing I was thinking. I looked back to Rufus and explained everything, how I was from another world, how I was now Guardian of Gaia and how I was supposed to protect it.

“Do you really expect me to believe you?” Rufus asked after I had finished explaining.

“No, I don't. But if you're going to belittle me, you can leave.” I snapped at him. “I don't appreciate being mocked, Shinra. Next time you want to talk, ask for my permission first.”

Rufus stared at me for a long moment before he grinned very slightly. Oh, how I wanted to to slap him. He turned to leave. “Oh and one more question...what will you do if Sephiroth arrives?”

“That's my business. Leave.” I demanded.

Rufus said nothing more and left, shutting the door behind him. I leaned back, letting out a deep sigh. The Guard Hound laid her head in my lap, letting out a growling sigh. “You handled that well.” Cloud commented.

“I didn't really care much for Rufus Shinra. I always thought he was an entitled, spoiled brat.” I said, scoffing.

“What will you do if Sephiroth arrives?”

I could hear the anger in his voice. “I'm not sure, Cloud....I'm hoping that he is back to his normal self when he arrives. If not...I'll have to beat the Jenova out of him. It wasn't him who killed Aerith...he was under Jenova's control. That wasn't even him at all....his body was in the Northern Crater when Aerith died. Jenova was behind it all....”

“I know that now...” Cloud said quietly. “I just...”

“I know......” I said, nodding. “Aerith knew it wasn't him.”

There was silence between us for a few minutes before I suddenly remembered something. “Cloud, where is Vincent Valentine usually at?”

“He visits that cave a lot....where Lucrecia rests.” He replied and looked at me. “Why?”

“I want to try and bring her back....if she is here when Sephiroth comes back...she'll be so happy to hold her son for the first time.” I said, just imagining the scene. “She never got to hold him because Hojo took him away from her. Hojo.....he won't be coming back. He's horrible. Vincent would be a better father than Hojo would. Tomorrow...or the day after, I want us all to go to the cave where Lucrecia rests.”

“I'll call Cid later and have him pick up the rest of the group.” Cloud said.

I nodded and leaned back, closing my good eye. This was already quite an adventure.


	4. Chapter 4

I rubbed Night's head while she rested her head on my lap. We were sitting out on the porch of the bar, waiting for Cid to get here. My other hand gentle fiddled with Night's name tag, which was attached to the collar around her neck. All of us were going since Cid was picking up everyone except for Vincent and Tifa. Tifa was going to stay to help get the room ready and to watch the kids. 

“Cid will be here in ten minutes.” Cloud said as he came out, shutting the door behind him. 

I nodded and stood up, feeling somewhat awkward. I was wearing a pair of jeans Tifa let me borrow and a pair of her shoes...but I was wearing one of Cloud's shirts. It was one of those zip up ones that he wore right now and it was slightly big on me. 

I felt strange, but I couldn't really complain. Tifa was going to get me clothes tomorrow since we were gonna need some for Lucrecia. 

And maybe Sephiroth if we found him....or he found us. 

We walked to the square where the Shera landed safely out of people's way. I looked up at the flying vehicle with awe, having not realized how huge it was. “Yo, spiky!!” A big man with a metal hand and arm shouted, waving down at Cloud. I recognized him as Barret. Big guy with a metal arm, very rare to see one of those guys. 

Well, except for Dyne, but he was dead. 

Cloud nodded at him and led me and Night inside. We walked up to the deck, where I saw Barret, Cait Sith, Red XIII, Yuffie and Cid. “Who ya got there, Cloud?” Cid asked, looking at me. 

I introduced myself, swallowing down my fear of having everyone's eyes on me. No wonder I was such an anti-social person. I explained everything in detail. I really didn't expect anyone to believe me. 

“Cloud, ya can't be serious, right?!” Barret asked Cloud with an expression of surprise. “Sephiroth tried to destroy the planet! He killed Aerith!” 

“It wasn't him.” I said firmly. 

“We watched him, kid. He murdered that sweet girl right in front of our fucking eyes!” Cid snapped. 

“It wasn't him.” I said again. 

“If I may speak,” Red XIII came forward. “She is right. Sephiroth isn't the one who tried to destroy the planet, or the one who killed Aerith. It was Jenova all this time. I saw his eyes....it wasn't him at all. Jenova controlled his mind to fight with us. Did you forget, all of you? His body is still at the Northern Crater.” 

I was actually surprised by Red's words. And he did have a point and he was right. Sephiroth's body is, and should still be, in the Northern Crater. They defeated Jenova who had been controlling his mind and took on his appearance. I never believed Sephiroth had been behind anything. It was all Jenova's fault. 

“Once we wake up Lucrecia....we will go find her son.” Cloud spoke. 

The others all exchanged looks and sighed. “I suppose so.” Cid said, not liking the idea. He started up the Shera and went off, causing me to fall flat on my ass. 

I groaned softly and put my head between my knees. I was never a big fan of heights. I could hear Yuffie groaning as well. Looks like she hasn't gotten over her sickness of flying either. Red came to sit beside me, looking at Night. Night stared at him and then laid her head in my lap, getting comfortable. 

“Thanks for...saying that.” I said to Red. 

“It's not a problem. I find it hard to believe you came from another dimension, but you know so much about us...” He said. 

“I know. It was a lot for me to take in when I first came here just days ago. And now I have this...” I looked at my bandaged arm. 

“It will be healed.” Red said, nodding. 

I went silent, closing my eyes to relax myself. It was at least a half hour before we arrived at the Crystal Cave and Cid landed the Shera to the grass. We all exited the Shera and I looked to the cave. My legs worked by themselves as I walked into the cave slowly, Night following right after me. I saw a man sitting there, seeming to be staring at the woman in the crystal. 

“Vincent.” I whispered. 

That seemed to catch his attention. The raven-haired man stood up and turned to me, his dark red eyes locking onto my form. “Who are you?” he asked in that deep voice of his. 

“My name is Shell.....and I need to explain something to you.” I said. It took me about the same amount of time for me to explain everything to Vincent. I was starting to get sick and tired of explaining everything. Vincent listened to me closely and didn't ask questions until I was done. 

Vincent looked back to Lucrecia and I couldn't help but feel saddened. It seemed like Vincent's sadness had passed onto me while I explained things to him. I approached Lucrecia, placing my hands on the crystal that she was in. I then pressed my forehead against it, letting the cool surface sooth my forehead. “Lucrecia....I don't know if you can hear me....your son...he needs you. We're going to get him....he needs his mother.” 

A single tear ran down my cheek and fell onto the crystal. Without warning, the crystal began to glow. I stepped back, surprised and watched as the crystal glowed even brighter, causing me to shield my good eye with my arms. I squinted to try and see what was going on, but it was difficult to see it. 

As the glow subsided, I saw Lucrecia and she seemed to be...floating almost. Her hair was flowing slightly along with her and god, for a woman of 60-years old, she looked absolutely beautiful. I could see where Sephiroth got his looks from. As the glow completely subsided, Lucrecia landed silently on the smooth, cave floor. 

And without warning, she fell forward. 

I gasped and hurried forward, catching her with my already weak arms. Her hands held onto me and I could feel her shaking. “It's okay....I got you.” I said softly and helped her stand up properly. She was slightly taller than me, probably by a few inches. Lucrecia looked down at me with those brown eyes of hers. “Hello.” I said softly, managing a smile. 

She smiled down at me, her hands on my shoulders. She then looked up over my head and I heard her gasp and watched as her eyes widen. “Vin....cent?” 

“Lucrecia...” 

Lucrecia let go of my shoulders and I turned to see her slowly walk towards Vincent. Vincent remained still as a statue, watching her. She reached up, her hands slowly cupping his face. I saw her shoulders shake a bit and then she wrapped her arms tightly around him, hugging him tightly. Vincent seemed to stiffen up a bit, before he looked to relax and his arms went around her. 

I couldn't help but smile. This was the reunion that I bet Vincent had been waiting for. 

Vincent and Lucrecia didn't part for a long time. After they did, I stepped forward and decided to tell her everything, like I had to the others. Lucrecia listened and seemed awfully surprised when I mentioned her son. “My son....is he...?” 

“I don't know for sure....we're going to the Northern Crater after this.” I replied. 

“Why the Northern Crater?” She asked. 

I was silent for a long moment before I spoke. “Because his body may still be there.” 

0000000000000000000

“Here.” Cloud handed me a small backpack and a cell phone. “Just in case we get separated. But just so that doesn't happen, don't wander off.” 

I nodded and looked into the backpack. I saw several round, colorful orbs. Materia. I kept the White Materia back at the bar, not wanting to lose it, or have it shatter. Lucrecia and Vincent decided to stay on the Shera, while the rest of us descended into the Northern Crater. I could see and feel how gloomy this place was. Cloud was in front, then Barret, then Night and I, then Red, Yuffie and Cid. We all walked in a line, not wanting to step off a cliff, or anything. 

I could hear the sound of growls in the distance and an occasional roar. We walked to a more open area that had cliffs all around. “Be careful, everyone.” Cloud said. 

I walked close to a cliff, looking around the large, dark and open area. It was hard to see what was around us except for our flashlights. I furrowed my eyebrows when I felt a rumble underneath my feet. “Guys, did you feel-?” 

Before I could finish, the ground crumbled underneath me and I fell. I rolled and tumbled down the steep cliff, yelping when something cut into my side. I continued to roll and tumble until I rolled right into a dark cave and yelped again when my left arm collided into something. I slowly rolled to a stop and I clutched my arm, whimpering. My flashlight blinked and flickered on me, being the only source of light in the darkness. 

God, I hurt so bad. 

I slowly sat up, pulling the backpack off my back. I rummaged around, looking for a Restore Materia. I found it and lifted up my shirt, seeing the gash that rested there. It was deep and was bleeding steadily. I shakily pressed my hand against my side and the Materia against it, muttering Cure. A bright,warm and green glow engulfed my side and the pain began to vanish. After a few seconds, I pulled it away and looked at the gash, which seemed to be closed....for now. 

I put my shirt down and focused on healing my throbbing arm next. After that was healed up, I put the Materia back in my backpack and put it on my back. I stood up and grabbed up my flashlight. The cave seemed nothing more than a covered walkway. I followed the walkway, grunting as I climbed over rocks. I saw light coming from above and walked out of the cave like walkway, seeing the sky above me. I turned my flashlight off and put it in my bag. I looked around, seeing nothing but walkways of rocks and rocks. 

I recognized this place. 

I remember playing the Whirlwind Maze part of the game....

This was it. 

I was almost at the place where Sephiroth's body was kept in that crystal structure. I really hope his body was there...maybe...maybe there was a chance I could bring him back. I walked along the pathway towards my destination. I didn't know how long I had been walking, but as soon as I came to another long bridge, I knew just how close I was. 

I walked along the path, soon coming to the area that the Weapons had woken up at. I looked around, not seeing any crystal structure. Maybe he wasn't here..

As I glanced more in the corner, my good eye locked on what looked like something sticking out of the ground. I walked over slowly and gasped when I saw the long, thin katana sticking out of the ground. But where....

Was it's wielder? 

I looked behind Masamune, hoping to find it's master. I moved branches out of the way and nearly had a heart attack when I saw a person sitting there, hunched over and head down. Long, silvery hair cascaded down his back and bangs framed his face. His black coat rustled whenever there was wind. Sephiroth wasn't in a crystal structure....but the structure of the area itself must've been keeping him here...

One thing that irked me was that he wasn't wearing clothes in the Final Fantasy VII game, but now he is....did he somehow get out? I wondered if he was even alive. 

I slowly approached the motionless form and knelt down, careful not to let my legs touch his own. I slowly reached forward, moving two fingers against the silver-haired man's neck to try and find his pulse. 

To my surprise, there was a pulse. 

Maybe he was just sleeping. Like a....really deep sleep. I sighed and took my hand away. How was I supposed to carry Sephiroth and that damn katana of his? 

I got up and went over to Masamune, my fingers brushing against the soft side of the silver blade. It was smooth and cool. I was about to reach up and grasp the handle of it when it suddenly flew right out of the ground and into the sky, way out of the crater. I could hear a thud in the way distance...like it stabbed itself into something. 

Well...that was entirely new.


	5. Chapter 5

Y'know, I didn't imagine men could be that heavy. But I guess when they're almost a foot taller than you, they're a bit heavy. Sephiroth was probably at least 190, MAYBE going on 200 pounds. All muscle and no fat. I had put my arms around from behind him, then grabbed my own wrists to lock them at his open chest. I had begun dragging him as much as I could with my weak arms. 

Probably not a wise idea. 

I grunted softly and set him down, sighing and sat down myself. I couldn't carry him by myself. I needed to contact the others. I sat down, rubbing my face gently and sighed. I brought out my PHS and dialed Cloud's number, putting it to my ear and hearing it ring. It was just only after a few rings that it clicked as it was picked up. 

_“Cloud.”_

“Hey, it's Shell.” I said. 

_“Shell? Gaia....where are you?”_ Cloud asked and I was surprised to hear the concern in his voice. 

“I'm at the crystal where Sephiroth is....I found him.” I replied. 

_“.....Has he said anything?”_

“No. He's alive...but he's either asleep, or in a coma.” I replied, glancing over at Sephiroth's form and then freezing when I realized he was sitting up. But he didn't move, or turn to face me. He just...sat there. “Um....he's sitting up.” I stood up and went around to stand in front of him. 

But what I saw shocked me. 

“Shell, what's wrong? Did he do something?” 

“No...” I whispered and knelt down, waving my hand in front of the silver-haired man's eyes. They were almost blank, just blank. As when Cloud had that deep Mako poisoning. Maybe Sephiroth has it....which wouldn't be a surprise to me to be honest. I cautiously touched his shoulder. Nothing. He didn't move, or do anything. “Sephiroth?” 

He tilted his head up at the sound of his name, looking at me with those blank eyes. He still didn't speak, or even attempt to open his mouth. 

“He's not speaking, or moving...he knows his name though.” I said. “I think he...has Mako poisoning.” 

_“That seems to be the most likely explanation....hold on. We'll be there soon with the Shera.”_ Cloud said. 

“Alright.” I said and hung up, shoving the device into my front pocket. I glanced over at Sephiroth, ultimately feeling bad for him. The poor man probably didn't even know where he was. He knew his name, but he probably didn't know where he was, or even what year he would be in. I stood up again and leaned down, grabbing onto his wrists. “Can you stand?” 

No answer, of course. I tugged on his arms a bit and he seemed to get what I was saying, as he slowly moved his legs under him and stood up. I didn't even realize how tall he was. I'm 5'5”, and the top of my head just reached his shoulders....so he was probably a good head taller than me, maybe 6'4”. And for his age...uhh....

He was 20 at the beginning of Crisis Core, then 27 in Final Fantasy VII and then three years go by...so he would be 30-years old. Nine years older than me. That's not bad. At least it ain't 20 years or something like that. 

If Sephiroth had Mako Poisoning, I had no idea how he was gonna recover from that. Especially if he had been down here this entire time. I sighed softly and put his right arm over my shoulders as the wind began to pick up. I looked up, seeing the Shera slowly descending into the area we were in. “We'll get you fixed up...maybe Lucrecia can help.” I said softly, looking up at Sephiroth. 

He only stared forward and I was losing hope that he hadn't heard a single word I said. As soon as the Shera go down enough, Cloud threw down the ladder. “Can he climb?” He asked. 

“Probably not...we might have to tie a rope around his waist.” I replied. 

Cloud nodded and easily found some rope, then threw the end down to me. I tied it comfortably around the silver haired man's waist, making sure it wasn't too tight, or too loose. I nodded up at Cloud and climbed up the ladder as Cloud lifted his former enemy up onto the Shera. I pulled the ladder up and put it to the side for now, then untied the rope from Sephiroth's waist. 

Cloud was staring strangely at him, almost as if he wanted to yell, scream, or say something to him. I watched for a moment, then jerked in surprise when Cloud's fist went across Sephiroth's cheek, sending the older man onto the floor of the deck. 

“I'm sorry....” Cloud muttered, shaking his hand. 

I said nothing and went over to the older man, helping him sit up. I noticed his cheek was already swelling up from Cloud's punch. It wouldn't be long before it would start bruising up. I used the end of my sleeve to wipe the bit of blood that came out from the corner of his mouth. His pale, green eyes stared at me blankly as I cleaned the blood from his mouth. 

“Lucrecia is gonna have a breakdown.” I said softly to myself. 

“I-is that him?” I heard Lucrecia's voice and glanced over to see her standing with Vincent. Her green eyes were wide and filled with worry and excitement. She took a couple steps, then rushed over. “My son!” She threw her arms around the silver-haired man, who barely moved a muscle. The only thing that moved slightly was his head when he looked at her. Lucrecia pulled back a bit, gently cupping her son's face in her hands. “What's wrong...? Why isn't he speaking?” 

“I.....I think he may have a severe case of Mako Poisoning. I don't know how long he had been down there, but it must've been a long time.” I replied, scratching the back of my head. “I don't know how long it's going to last.” 

Lucrecia looked at me, then back to Sephiroth as her eyes watered up. She hugged him a bit more gently this time, her shoulders shaking as she struggled to not cry. After 30 years of not seeing her own son.....and finally seeing him in this state....it had to be hard to see him like this. It wasn't until after a while that she calmed down enough to ask me to help him get bathed and into bed. 

“How the fuck does someone of his stature wear so much leather..?” I sighed and got the stupid, fucking shoulder guards off his shoulders. I then unclasped his coat and let that hit the ground. I wasn't surprised to see that his skin was littered with scars. My attention was drawn to one that started from his right shoulder to the end of his ribs on the left side. I wonder how he got such a scar. I really wanted to touch it, but I didn't. Touching someone without their permission was just wrong. “You might have to do the rest, Lucrecia...” 

“That's fine, dear. Could you fetch me some clothes for him to wear?” Lucrecia asked me. 

I nodded and left the bathroom, going to find Cloud. I walked around the corner and walked right into him. “Ooof. Sorry...I was just looking for you.” 

“I was just doing the same.” He said, handing me some clothes. “They might be a little big on him. They're Barret's.” 

“Thanks.” I said softly. 

“How is he?” Cloud asked. 

I didn't answer. Because even I didn't know how he was. I didn't know what to do, but I was going to do my best. “We'll see what the doctor says.” I replied and went back to the bathroom. I knocked, letting Lucrecia know it was me and entered. Lucrecia had washed him up and had him wrapped up in a thick, huge and fluffy towel. I looked to the silver haired man's cheek and saw that it was bruising already from Cloud's punch. “I got clothes.” I said, handing them to Lucrecia. 

“Thank you.” She smiled at me. 

I left the bathroom to allow them privacy. She called me back in and I went back in, seeing that Lucrecia had him dressed. She had him standing up now, and he was still staring blankly. I walked over and put his arm around my shoulder, helping him so he could support himself. We walked him through the door and into the bedroom, getting him down on the bed. 

“Hey....what's this from?” Lucrecia asked, looking down at the exposed skin when we set Sephiroth down on the bed. 

I glanced down at his stomach and was surprised to see a long, smooth scar on his stomach. It was angled, as if something....with a huge blade had stabbed him. I only had one thought for that. When Cloud stabbed him with Zack's sword back in the Mako Reactor in the mountains by Nibelheim. “From when Cloud stabbed him....back in the Mako Reactor.” I replied in a soft voice. 

Lucrecia looked at me with worry, then back to her son. His eyes were closed now and he seemed to be sleeping. I got a bit closer and placed my ear against his chest, right above his heart. His chest rose slowly, then fell and repeated as he breathed. His heart was strong, it was like hearing a gong in my ear. “His heart beat is pretty strong....which is good.” I said and took my head away, sitting up. 

“Will he recover from this...if it's Mako Poisoning?” She asked, looking at me again. 

I nodded. “Yeah, I just don't know how. We'll see what the doctor says tomorrow....hopefully it's not too severe if it is Mako Poisoning.” 

Lucrecia nodded and sat by Sephiroth's side, holding his hand. I decided to let her be, deciding to go out to the deck to see Masamune. It had embedded itself into the deck, tilting at an angle. I walked over to it and looked at the slots in the katana. I saw the Materia inside...

And the Black Materia within it. 

I reached up and took the slot off, wrapping my hand around the Black Materia. I pulled it out with barely any difficulty and put the slot back on. I stared at the Black Materia, seeing my reflection in the shiny cover of it. My good eye narrowed at it, then widened as I began to see flashes and pictures in my vision. 

Meteor falling from the sky...

Jenova's very presence sinking right into me, almost as if she was staring straight into my soul...

“NO!” 

I cried out and toppled to the floor of the deck, clutching my head with my free hand. I breathed deeply and sniffled, feeling tears leak from my good eye. I looked up when I felt something nudge my shoulder. Night stood there, tilting her head at me in confusion. “I'm okay girl....just a headache.” I sniffled and sat up slowly with a heavy sigh. 

Night laid down and laid her head in my lap, yawning. I rubbed her head, then her ears gently. I stared at the Black Materia in my hand, knowing it was nothing but destruction. A destruction that I couldn't let happen. I had to destroy this Materia. 

“We've got company!” I heard Cid shout. 

I quickly stood up and went over to the edge, seeing a helicopter flying beside us. Shinra. What did they want? The side door opened and Rude stood there with a megaphone in his hand. “Land at the nearest patch of grass. The President would like to speak with you.”

“It's about Sephiroth. They must've followed us.” 

I jumped and glanced to the side to see Cloud. Cloud didn't look too happy at all. I swallowed thickly and looked down as the Shera began to descend to the nearest and largest patch of grass. 

This wasn't good.


	6. Chapter 6

Once the Shera landed, Cloud, Night and I, even the others except for Lucrecia and Sephiroth, got off the Shera and went to meet with Rufus Shinra. That man irritated me more than anything on this planet. I glared at the white-suited man as he came out of the chopper. 

“Well well....I was right.” The blonde-haired man smirked a bit. “You would be here to fetch Sephiroth.” 

“Your point?” Cloud asked him. 

“My point is, that we'll be taking him into our custody.” 

“I don't think so.” I said, stepping up. “You're not going to go near him. Not now, not ever. I won't allow it and neither will his mother.” 

Rufus glanced over at me with those cold, blue eyes. “Do you think you will stop me?” 

“I already know what you're going to do to him. You'll take him into custody, means you're going to kill him the moment he recognizes you. He can't even speak, he can hardly move. He....has severe Mako Poisoning.” I said. “He probably won't even remember what happened the last few years. It wasn't him, it was Jenova.” 

“Yes, you said that the last time we spoke.” He said. 

I thought quickly, trying to come up with something. “Why don't we talk in privacy? Negotiate.” 

Rufus seemed to think for a deep moment. “Yes....I will allow that. But you will come with me.” 

I was silent for a long moment, before I glanced to Cloud. He shook his head at me. I looked back to Rufus. “I'll go with you.” 

“Are ya crazy, girl?!” Cid shouted at me. “You go with him, he's gonna fucking hurt you!” 

“No, he won't.” I said, staring Rufus dead right in the eye. “There won't be a problem, will there?” 

Rufus shook his head and waved for me to come to the chopper. I nodded and looked back to Cloud. “Just make sure Sephiroth stays safe. I'll be back as soon as I can.” 

Cloud gave me a single nod and I walked to the chopper, getting inside. I sat down and Rufus sat across from me, while Rude and Reno started up the helicopter. The door closed and within moments, the helicopter lifted off the ground. I glanced out the window at the others, seeing the worried looks they were giving me. Especially Cloud. I sent him a quick text to his PHS. 

_I'll be alright._

The helicopter flew off and the Shera became smaller and smaller every second. I sighed softly and looked back to Rufus, who had crossed his leg over the other. “So, how do you want to negotiate?” He asked me. 

“I'm going to make you a deal, Shinra.” I began. “And the deal is, that Sephiroth is MY responsibility. What he does is my responsibility as well and I will care for him and make sure nothing happens.” 

Rufus put his hands on his leg, staring at me intensely. “And what of the Black Materia?” 

“That's my responsibility as well. Everything connected to Sephiroth is my responsibility...including the Remnants if they appear.” I replied. 

He scowled this time. “And why would they?” 

“They're connected to Sephiroth. They're physical manifestations of his will. Most likely, they could be his brothers.” I explained. I was just saying stuff as it popped up in my mind. I still didn't know what the hell I was doing, only that I was going to do everything I could to protect Sephiroth, the others and Gaia. “Before you ask, yes, I will take care of them. They'll be my responsibility as well.” 

Rufus seemed to think for a long moment before he glanced behind him. “Head to Healen Lodge, we'll be talking more there.” 

“Roger, boss.” Reno said.

I looked out the window, watching as we flew over the large, vast ocean. I felt a tingle in my mind, almost as if I was being carefully monitored. I wished I had brought Night with me. The rest of the trip was in silence, until Reno spoke up that we were reaching Healen Lodge in ten minutes. I glanced out the window, seeing us getting close. I could see large rocks and mountains, along with waterfalls. It must've been built into the mountains, since it was between Midgar and the Chocobo Farm. Reno landed the chopper as soon as we got there and switched it off. “Heyyy, mind if we grab food? I'm starving.” Reno said. 

Rufus waved at him, letting him do as he wished. Reno looked to me. “Whatdya want, toots?” 

“One, don't call me toots. Two...I don't care.” I replied. 

“Feisty.” He chuckled and got out of the chopper along with Rude. 

Rufus led me up the stairs and to the Shinra cabin, where I assumed they worked now, instead of a huge building. “Do you have plans to bring back Shinra?” I asked him. 

“I thought you knew everything.” Rufus said, in a smartass like fashion. 

“I want to hear you say it.” I snapped. 

“Perhaps.” 

I frowned deeply. “Bringing Shinra back is a bad idea and you know this. You drained the Planet's energy, the very energy it needs.” 

“People didn't seem to mind when it was making their lives more comfortable.” He spoke as we went inside. 

I slammed the door shut in anger, causing Rufus to turn to me with an arched eyebrow. “Because they didn't know! The Planet is a living organism, just like us! It has feelings! It heals when it gets hurt! You take that energy away and the Planet will die! Is that what you want? To cause the deaths of countless lives? I'll tell you right now, I won't let that happen. I'll go to every Mako Reactor on Gaia and destroy it.” 

Rufus stared at me after my vent. “Protector of the planet, huh...” He said, more so to himself I think. 

“You'll have to get through my cold, dead corpse before you think of hurting the Planet, or my friends.” I said. 

Rufus made no comment to that. He sat down on the couch. Reno and Rude returned with food and Reno handed me a paper bag. “Here ya go.” 

I muttered a 'thank you' and opened it. It was a double hamburger with everything except cheese and a large fry. Huh, reminds me of Earth food. I ate it slowly, not wanting to upset my stomach. The rest of the time was spent in silence, with Reno trying to converse with me. I ignored him and looked to Rufus. “Are we done here?” 

“Yes, I believe we are.” He replied, in a tone that I couldn't quite place. 

I got up and went outside, bringing out my PHS. I texted Cloud, telling him to come get me. 

_On my way. He texted back._

I put the PHS away in my pocket and sat down on the steps, waiting patiently. It was about a half hour when Cloud drove up on his motorcycle, the same one from Advent Children. I walked over to him and hopped on behind him. 

“How'd it go?” He asked. 

“I'll explain when we get back to 7th Heaven.” 

He nodded and drove off, making me hold onto his shoulders. It was another half hour before we got back to the bar. I was tired and wanted to sleep, since it was after seven now. I walked inside and was greeted by Night, who weaved herself around my legs and nuzzled me. I rubbed her head gently and sat down at one of the tables, exhausted. 

“Are you alright?” Tifa asked me. 

I nodded and noticed everyone was gathered around, except for Lucrecia and Sephiroth. I told them of what Rufus and I talked about. 

“So he's not going to bring back Shinra?” Red asked. 

“I don't think so. I think he took my words into consideration.” I replied, letting out a yawn. 

“Don't need that bastard bringing back Shinra.” Cid scoffed, lighting a cigarette. 

I got up, wanting to take a shower. I headed up to my bedroom, which thankfully, had some clothes in it given to me from Tifa. I took a long, hot shower and dried off once I was done. I glanced at my back and frowned, seeing the scars. I moved my hair aside so I could dry it and frowned when I saw something along the back of my shoulder. 

The stigma was spreading. 

Fuck. 

“Hey, Tifa, can you come up here?” I called as soon as I opened the bathroom door a bit. 

Tifa came up and as soon as she was inside, I showed her the stigma on my back. “It's spreading...” I said quietly. 

“How? I don't understand...” Tifa said. She was just as confused as I was. 

“I think it's her way of trying to stop me. Geostigma is...inevitable. If I'm not cured soon, I'll die from it. Tifa, I'm hallucinating and seeing visions. I don't know if that's part of being the Guardian or what, but I'm seeing things that happened years ago. I saw Meteor falling....” I said, my voice trailing off. 

Tifa touched my shoulder gently. “It's okay, we'll figure it out. Aerith's healing rain healed the others, it can heal you.” 

“I hope so...maybe she can help Sephiroth also.” I said softly. 

Tifa bandaged me up and I got dressed after she bandaged me up. Afterwards, I went to the room where Lucrecia and Sephiroth were. An elder man dressed in a white coat was there, speaking with Lucrecia. Looks like the doctor had come. 

“How is he?” I asked as I came in. 

Lucrecia and the doctor looked to me. “Ah, hello there. You must be Shell. Your friend will heal...but the Mako Poisoning is severe. I'm surprised he hasn't died from the amount of Mako in his system.” He explained to me. 

“He's strong...he'll fight it.” I nodded, looking at the silver-haired man. He still had the blank look on his face. 

The doctor and Lucrecia talked for some more before he gathered up his things and left. Lucrecia looked to me and I can instantly see the look of worry on her face. “What's wrong?” 

“The stigma is spreading.” I told her quietly. 

“Spreading?” She asked, clearly surprised. 

I nodded. “Jenova is trying to kill me. And since she can't manifest herself in physical form yet, she's using the stigma to kill me. Eventually I will die if I don't get cured. But....the others and Sephiroth are my main priorities. I'll worry about myself later.” I gave her a soft smile. “I'm gonna head to bed, I'm tired.” 

Before she could say anything, I left the room and headed off to bed. I shut the door behind me and sighed softly. It wouldn't be long before my body would become too weak. I'm dying, I'll admit that. Geostigma is fatal unless we have Aerith's healing rain. I shut the light off and crawled into bed, snuggling deep into my covers. I closed my good eye and settled down enough to sleep. 

I was halfway asleep when I felt sudden and tremendous pain in my right arm. I cried out and rolled over, holding my right arm against my chest. I accidentally rolled onto the floor with a thud and clutched my arm, whimpering. When I looked at it, I gasped and saw black liquid seeping from my arm. The stigma was now infecting my right arm. 

I whimpered and shut my good eye tightly as tears began leaking from it. 

If Jenova was trying all she could to kill me via Geostigma, it meant that I needed to get Sephiroth healed up before myself. If I didn't...

I didn't even want to think of that.


	7. Chapter 7

“Shelllllll? Shelly?” 

I felt a hand and a paw nudging at me. I opened my good eye slowly and turned my head to see Marlene and Night with worried looks on their faces. I groaned softly and slowly sat up, holding my head in my hands. I looked at my right arm and saw that most of it was covered by the stigma. No boils, or leakage, just what looked like a rash. I sighed softly and looked to Marlene. “Can you grab bandages from the bathroom, hon?” 

Marlene nodded and hurried to the bathroom, coming back with a roll of them. I wrapped up my arm up to my bicep and sighed. 

“Shelly, the stigma...” Marlene leaned over and touched my newly bandaged arm. 

“I'm alright, Marlene. I'll get better soon. I just have to worry about Sephiroth right now. I have to take care of him.” I told her and rubbed her head gently. Night nudged me in the shoulder. “Why don't we go see how he's doing?” 

“Mmm-hmm!” Marlene nodded. 

I stood up and let Marlene take my hand. I felt sick, like I had a cold. But the stigma wasn't contagious. The three of us walked to the room where Lucrecia and Sephiroth were staying for the moment. I knocked on the door and heard Lucrecia say 'come in'. We opened the door and walked inside, seeing the silver-haired man eating, his nearly blank eyes keeping on his food. 

“He's eating?” I asked as I shut the door behind us. 

Lucrecia smiled at us, nodding. “Yes, he's starting to come out of the Mako Poisoning. Maybe it wasn't as severe as the doctor had said it was.” 

“That's good though.” I nodded, coming over to sit on the edge of the bed. Marlene climbed onto the bed and sat in my lap. “See, Marlene? He's already getting better fast.” 

“Yeah! That's good! Then maybe we can play when he's all better!” She chirped. 

Lucrecia and I chuckled softly and I clenched my good eye shut when I felt pain throb in my right arm. I opened my good eye, which was slightly watery. “Shell, your arm...why is it..?” Lucrecia touched my arm, like Marlene had. 

“It's spreading faster than I thought.” I said quietly. “I feel like I have a really bad cold.” 

“You shouldn't be up and walking around, Shell-.” 

“I have to. I have to make sure Sephiroth heals completely. I have to make sure the Planet is safe.” I said, looking at her. “I have to be the Guardian...” 

Lucrecia looked at me with worrisome eyes. I could tell she was worried about me. How much I was pushing myself to make Sephiroth better. I wasn't taking care of myself. Marlene looked up at me and I just smiled at her softly, rubbing her head. “Why don't you stay here with Lucrecia? I'll be back.” 

“Where are you going?” She asked me as I placed her on the bed. 

“To see Aerith.” I replied and left without another word, Night following after me. The others must've still been asleep, so I was able to leave the bar without anyone saying something to me. Night and I walked along the back way, making our way towards the church. We got there within twenty minutes and I opened the wooden doors, heading inside. I saw the sparkling water of the pool by the very end and the Buster Sword that was right there. 

The one Angeal carried, then Zack and then Cloud. 

Seeing the pool and the sword both there, gave me a sense that both Zack and Aerith were keeping watch. I walked over to the pool, staring down at my reflection. 

That's when pain erupted through my entire body and I fell to my knees, crying out. Flashes appeared in front of my eyes. Something rising out of the water, darkness covering the lands...

Jenova's face right in front of mine. 

I leaned forwards a bit too much and fell right into the pool with a loud splash. I heard Night let out a yowl of surprise and saw her face come to the water as I sunk. It couldn't have been more than three or four feet deep, but it didn't seem to matter. Bubbles escaped my mouth as I sunk to the bottom of the pool. The bandages came loose, unraveling from my skin. I closed my good eye, letting myself relax. There was a tightening in my chest, as I was trying to breathe. Maybe I wasn't meant to be the Guardian. 

With one last beat of my heart, I sank into the overwhelming darkness that greeted me like an old friend. 

But then...

I heard voices. 

_“She's not breathing! I thought she told us that Sister would be okay!” _

_“Try CPR!”_

Without warning, I came to quickly and coughed up a large amount of water. I rolled over onto my side quickly, trying to get all of the water out of my lungs. I shivered, wrapping my arms around myself. A hand patted my back a bit rougher than intended. 

“Are you alright, Sister?” 

I glanced up with blurry vision, able to see out of both eyes now. I saw three, black blurs sitting over me. I blinked, regaining my vision and saw the three sitting over me. My eyes widened a bit as I realized it was the three Remnants. I was clearly in shock. I hadn't expected these three at all. More or less, I had expected Hojo to come back so I could kill that motherfucker. 

“I'm fine.” I replied in a strained voice, still coughing. 

I sat up slowly and smoothed my hair away from my face, letting out a deep sigh. I frowned when I did feel bandages on my face and checked my arms as well. To my surprise, I didn't see the stigma on my arm anymore. “It's healed.” I said quietly to myself. I didn't feel sick anymore, or weak. Night nudged my arm and I looked at her. “What is it?” 

She motioned her head to the large doors at the end and I glanced over, seeing Cloud standing there. 

Crap. 

“Ah, brother....how nice to see you.” Kadaj smirked at the blonde, taking a few steps forward. 

“I'm not your brother.” Cloud snapped and looked to me. “Shell, let's go. Something has happened at the bar.” 

“She's not going anywhere with you.” Loz spoke, glaring at Cloud. “We have to protect her.” 

“I think it's the other way around.” Cloud said and I could see his blue eyes becoming filled with anger. 

“Do you wanna fight-?” 

“Stop it!” I shouted, causing all four of them to look at me. “Cloud is my friend! He and the others have been taking care of me while I've been sick with the stigma, so stuff it! Cloud, these three.....uh...they're kinda like Sephiroth's brothers...in a way. I guess them coming back....means I'm responsible for them as well.” I rubbed the back of my neck, looking at him. 

Cloud looked me over and I knew he was looking at me closely because the stigma was now gone. “Tifa won't be happy about this....fine. Sephiroth is healed fully from the Mako Poisoning. He's confused and not sure what's going on.” 

I was surprised at that. Maybe he healed fully when the stigma was healed. “Alright, let's go. There's a long discussion we need to have.” 

I ended up hopping on Cloud's bike, while the other three rode their own bikes. Night ran since she was pretty fast. We made it back to the bar in no time, parking behind the bar. I sighed softly and hopped off, petting Night on the head. Cloud decided to go first, going through the back door. “Tifa, I'm back.” 

“Did you find her?” Tifa's voice asked as she came over, drying a glass cup in her hand. Once her eyes laid on the three silver-haired men behind me, she gasped and dropped the glass on accident. It broke as soon as it collided with the wooden floor. “What are they doing here?!” 

“Tifa, I'll explain it soon, I promise.” I said calmly, putting my hands up in defense. 

“They almost killed Cloud!” Tifa shouted. 

“I know! Can you just give me a chance to explain before you go Hulk on their asses?!” I shouted back. 

Tifa went silent and so did I. I took a deep breath and explained to her about them coming back. Tifa only stared at me before she frowned deeply. “Fine, they can stay....” 

“Thank you....I'll make sure they don't get into trouble.” I said. 

“Good.” Tifa said, eying the three behind me. 

Cloud led the three upstairs so they could get some regular clothes. I remember Tifa saying Cloud had old clothes he never wore anymore. Hence wearing one of his zip up ones....it's comfortable. Tifa looked at me again, her eyes widening. “Shell, the stigma is gone...” 

“Yeah. I fell into that pool in the church. I hadn't known it was still in affect to cure.” I nodded, rubbing the back of my neck. “I'm sorry I yelled.” 

“It's okay. I'm sorry too.” Tifa said softly, giving me a soft smile. 

I gave her a tiny smile and went to the stairs, going up them. I went to the door where Sephiroth's room was and heard the three Remnants speaking with him. I even heard Lucrecia speaking as well. I don't know why I felt nervous all of a sudden. Maybe because he was fully awake and not in that Mako Poisoning state? I fiddled with the zipper on my shirt, tugging it slightly. I sighed softly and looked up as Cloud came out of his bedroom. “I'm nervous.” 

“About what?” He asked, arching a blonde brow. 

“I don't know. I was just fine being around Sephiroth when he had Mako Poisoning, but now....I don't know.” I sighed softly. 

“You were right about one thing. He won't hurt us. I don't even think he remembers what happened before the incident at Nibelheim.” He replied. 

“Which means he's going to ask where Zack is....” I said softly. Oh Zack....how I wish you were here. I really had wanted to meet him in person, but who knows...maybe I'll get that chance soon. “Alright, let's go in.” I said and grabbed the doorknob, turning it. I opened the door, surprised that Marlene was still in the room. She was sitting on Lucrecia's lap. Hell, even Denzel was in the room, listening with interest. 

“Shelly!” Marlene exclaimed when she spotted me. She hopped off Lucrecia's lap and ran to me, throwing her arms around my waist as she hugged me. “You're back!” 

I smiled softly, patting her head. “Yeah, I'm back.” 

“And the stigma is gone! Aerith healed you!” Marlene said once she saw my arms. 

“She did.” I nodded. 

She lifted up her arms to me and I knew exactly what she wanted. I picked her up, balancing her on my hip. I felt eyes staring right at me and looked up, seeing Lucrecia and all four silver-haired men looking at me. Sephiroth included. His eyes were bright and almost seemed to glow. His cat-like pupils were noticeable now instead of when he had Mako Poisoning. His eyes switched to Cloud and I noticed he looked confused. 

“Cloud....” His deep voice almost made me shudder. “What has happened? Where is Zack?” 

I glanced over to Cloud, who actually looked sympathetic. He sighed softly and looked to me, then I nodded. I went over and grabbed up another chair, sitting down in the chair with Marlene on my lap. “It's a long story....” 

It took over an hour for the explanation. Sephiroth's expressions went from purely confused, then purely shocked, to almost understanding. “All this time....I was lied to?” 

I could feel my heart breaking at his voice. He sounded so....sad. “Yes, unfortunately. Hojo only wanted to control you. That...bastard.” I muttered the last word, though I'm pretty sure Sephiroth heard it. 

He looked to Lucrecia and the brown-haired woman smiled, then hugged him to her. She ran her fingers through his silvery hair and he seemed to relax a bit. He looked most like a mixture of Advent Children and Crisis Core. His bangs were long, longer than mine. Mine only reached my neck, while his seemed to reach his chest. 

I sighed very softly to myself and Marlene tugged on a lock of my hair. I bent my head down to her and she whispered in my ear. “Do you like him?” 

I swallowed thickly. I wasn't some squealing fangirl like I used to be when I was younger. I was better than that and more mature. “Yes, but don't tell him. It's our little secret.” I whispered back to her. 

Marlene beamed and nodded. I wasn't going to confess that I liked him since the first moment I laid my eyes on him.


	8. Chapter 8

By the next day, everything seemed to be...normal. As normal as it could be really, when you have four silver-haired men in the same place. The Remnants had a habit of calling me sister, well, mostly Loz and Kadaj. Yazoo was mostly quiet, but he didn't give off a bad vibe or anything. It's a good thing Cloud and Tifa decided to build more onto the bar, since a lot of us were staying. I had my own room with Night, Sephiroth had his own and the three brothers slept together. I had thought Cloud and Tifa were together, but since they slept in different rooms, I guess they're not. 

Around noon, I was up with Marlene in her room that she and Denzel shared, coloring with them. Marlene was pretty good at it, staying in the lines really nicely. Denzel had a thing for making his own pictures and letting Marlene color them in. 

“Shelly?” 

“Yes?” I looked to Marlene. 

“Can I give you something?” She asked in her sweet voice. 

“Sure.” I nodded. 

Marlene got up and went over to the end table next to her bed. She opened it and pulled out a pink ribbon, then closed the drawer. She came back over to me and nudged my arm. I was wearing another one of Cloud's zip up shirts, so my arms were exposed. Marlene tied the ribbon around my left arm in a bow. “There! I'm sure Aerith will like it.” She smiled brightly. 

I touched the pink ribbon gently, feeling how smooth and silky it felt under my skin. I looked at Marlene and smiled. “Thank you.” 

Marlene sat back down to color with Denzel. A few minutes later, Lucrecia came in. “What are you children doing?” She asked kindly. 

“We're coloring! Shelly is helping us.” Marlene beamed. 

Lucrecia smiled. “Would you three like to go shopping with Tifa and I?” 

“Yeah!” Marlene nodded. 

I nodded as well and Denzel did the same. Not only were we going food shopping, but we needed to get Lucrecia, myself, Sephiroth and his brothers clothes. Man, this was gonna be a lot of Gil. “Are they not coming with us?” Marlene asked. 

“Who, hon?” Lucrecia asked her. 

“Sephiroth and his brothers.” She replied. 

“No.” I shook my head. “At least not now. Maybe next time they'll come along.” 

Marlene nodded and got up to get ready. I went to my room and grabbed the shoulder bag Tifa gave me that she didn't want anymore. I went over to the dresser and brought out the White Materia and Black Materia. I couldn't let anyone get their hands on either of these, including Shinra. That's the last thing I needed to happen. Shinra summoning Meteor. I clutched both Materias to my chest. Just thinking about another Meteor happening frightened me. 

There was a knock on my door and I jumped, startled by the sound. “Come in.” 

The door opened and Lucrecia came in, a smile on her face. “Hello, I have a question for you. May I....braid your hair?” 

I blinked, surprised. No one had ever asked me that before. “Sure.” I shrugged and put the Materias in my bag to keep them safe. I turned my back to Lucrecia and she began to braid my hair. Her fingers were careful as they worked through my hair. 

“Sephiroth wasn't too keen on letting me braid his hair, but I wanted to braid someone's.” Lucrecia said. “Your hair is just as soft as his....silky.” 

“I figured it always was.” I said, giving a tiny nod. 

Lucrecia braided my hair to the very tip and tied it off with a hair tie. She turned me to face her and pulled the braid over my left shoulder. She smiled kindly at me, brushing my bangs out of my face. I had longer bangs on the right side of my face than my left side, but they were still long. She cupped my cheeks in her hands and smiled softly. “You're so pretty, Shell. Why don't you keep your hair out of your face?” 

I didn't answer her. I was self-conscious of my body. Hell, even my own personality. I was self-conscious that I was too bossy, or too rude, or anything like that. As my answer, I just shrugged. 

“I think you should keep your hair out of your face.” Lucrecia smiled kindly. 

“I'll think about it.” I said softly. 

She released my face and patted me on the cheek gently. She then left the room and left me to myself. I looked at myself in the mirror and sighed softly, parting my bangs to the side. Lucrecia was right. Maybe I should keep my bangs out of face from now on. I fixed my hair, combing it so that it was styled in away that my bangs were kept back, but some of my shorter bangs were in my face. I looked ridiculous. 

I sighed softly and let it be. My hair stayed in place thankfully and I felt the soft spikes. My hair was sort of spiky like Cloud's, mostly at the sides and at the top. It was kinda cool to have gravity defining hair. I scratched my cheek lightly and grabbed my shoulder bag, putting it over my right shoulder. I looked at myself in the mirror again. Tifa had given me yet another pair of her jeans, ones that hugged my legs a bit and Cloud's zip up shirt. He and I seemed to be the same size almost. I know Tifa's breasts were much bigger than mine. 

I headed downstairs where the others were waiting. I was surprised to see that all four silver-haired man were downstairs, though in the seating area where they couldn't be seen. It was behind the bar, but behind the kitchen. Marlene was with them, seemingly content with the men. 

“Marlene, are you ready to go?” I asked, taking a couple steps in the room. 

“Yeah!” Marlene nodded and stood up, looking at her. Her mouth opened in an 'O' look when she saw me. “Shelly, I love your hair like that! You're so pretty!” 

I chuckled softly. “I doubt that. Lucrecia just braided my hair and I put my bangs back a bit, that's it.” 

“You're still very pretty.” She smiled and rushed over to me, grabbing my hand. 

“Sister, where are you going?” Loz asked me, almost in a childish tone. 

“We're just going to get clothes and some other things. We'll be back soon, don't worry.” I said, looking at him. 

He gave a nod and turned his attention back to Kadaj, who he had been talking to before I came in to get Marlene. I glanced over at Sephiroth, who gazed back at me with those emerald orbs of his. It was like they seemed to glance into my very soul. I looked away, feeling shy and/or nervous all of a sudden. I walked out with Marlene, away from his eyes. 

I don't know what was wrong with me. 

We headed to the bar area, where Tifa, Lucrecia, Yuffie and Denzel were all waiting. Lucrecia smiled at me when she saw me. “See? I love your hair that way. It makes your face more able to see.” 

“Yeah.” I said softly, giving a nod. 

I took Denzel's other hand and we left to head to the store. We took about two hours for shopping just for clothes, then we decided to head out for a late lunch. I was quiet most of the time, only observing my surroundings and making thoughts or mental comments out of them. I felt a tug on my pants and glanced to the side to see Night sitting there, letting out a soft whine. I smiled softly and gave her some of my food. She was being really good anyway. She laid her head down on my lap and yawned. I rubbed her head and ate the rest of my food. 

“Shelly, are you okay?” Marlene asked me. 

“Yeah.” I nodded, assuring her when I gave her a soft smile. 

When we were finished with lunch, we headed back to the bar. I was still mostly quiet, deep in thought. I think Lucrecia noticed, but she didn't say anything. As soon as we got back to the bar, I went to my room and unpacked my things, putting them away. I looked out the window, seeing the nearly cloudless, blue sky. 

I sighed softly and felt Night nudge my thigh. I rubbed her head and sat down on the edge of my bed. She whined softly and put her head on my thigh, wagging her tentacle from side to side. She seemed to be asking me what was wrong. 

“Nothing's wrong girl....I'm just worried.” I replied softly, scratching behind her ear gently. 

She tilted her head to the side, confused. 

“If all four of them came back....Genesis is still alive...out there, somewhere.” I spoke to myself. “So is Nero and....Weiss. Shelke's sister is out there somewhere.” 

I stopped, knowing I was just speaking to myself. I shook my head, closing my eyes. I could barely hear the Planet while I was in my room, knowing I'd have to be in a more open area. Maybe by the ocean? I needed to go to a few places....the Temple of the Ancients and the Forgotten Capital. I'm not a Cetra, but I felt a powerful need to go there. I wanted to see that beautiful city, like I had when I first played the game. 

“Maybe.” I said softly to myself. 

After sitting there for about ten minutes in my thoughts, I heard Night's stomach growl. “C'mon, let's get you some food.” 

I stood up and went downstairs to the kitchen, getting out her food and her bowl. I gave her enough to last until dinner and she ate hungrily. I rubbed her back as she ate. She wasn't food aggressive, so I was glad for that. 

“Sister?” 

I looked up and saw Kadaj standing there. He was wearing a pair of dark blue jeans and a grey t-shirt, though his feet were bare. “What's wrong, Kadaj?” 

He looked nervous about something and I immediately became worried. “C...can I....hug you?” 

I blinked, surprised. This was like a whole new personality. Kadaj never seemed shy in Advent Children, because he had been obsessing over Jenova at the time. I smiled softly and nodded, standing up. I opened my arms to him and he immediately came over to me and wrapped his arms around me tightly, but not tightly enough to hurt me. I hugged him back and nuzzled the side of his head gently. I rubbed his back while he kept his head on my shoulder. 

He was just a child, after all. 

Kadaj parted from the hug and he looked a bit happier. I smiled and patted his cheek, before he walked off to go back to his brothers. After Night finished eating, we walked out of the kitchen. 

“Kadaj, that's not fair! You got a hug from Sister and I didn't!” 

I chuckled softly and went to the living room area where they were all sitting. “I'm open for hugs for everyone.” 

Loz immediately came forward for a hug and after a few moments, Yazoo did as well. Strange, they felt so comfortable around me, yet they barely knew me. I glanced over at Sephiroth, who looked surprised at his brothers. “Would you like one too?” I asked him, still somewhat nervous. 

“No, thank you.” He said softly, shaking his head. 

I nodded and squeezed the ones I was holding. They didn't part from me after a while. Once they did, I went back up to my room. I sighed softly to myself and rubbed the back of my head. 

Everything was just too stressful.


	9. Chapter 9

About a month after the Remnants appeared, things calmed down. We still kept Sephiroth and the Remnants hidden, even though we had all decided to move to Kalm. Cloud and Tifa had recently bought a huge house out there for cheap since they knew the seller and it was already ready to go. Tifa was sad to go, but Cloud had decided it would be better since we both had Sephiroth AND the Remnats and even me living with them. Tifa had sold the bar to a very good friend of theirs and even though they didn't have to worry about money, Cloud and Tifa kept it stashed in a good place. Moving everything was a bitch, since there was a lot of stuff. But it seemed to work out just fine. The others all stayed to help as well and were deciding to stay for a few days at the very least. 

I liked having everyone around. I seemed to be pretty good with everyone. Cloud was like a brother to me, Tifa was like a sister, Barret was....I don't know, my friend. Cid was funny at times and I didn't like his smoking, so we sometimes got into it about that. But Cid was like a father-figure to me. Red XIII and I got along pretty well and we talked about the Planet and things like that. Cait Sith was cute, nothing more than that. He was usually with Reeve though. Yuffie was like a hyperactive sister to me and Vincent....eh, it was sort of weird. We're friends, but we don't talk much. 

The Remnants and I grew close and I considered them my brothers. Since they called me Sister. And Sephiroth.....

We didn't talk much, or at all the first few weeks. But Lucrecia helped him open up a bit. He acted much like his normal self from Crisis Core, but he still didn't remember anything from the age of 22 to 30. That's eight years of nothing. He doesn't remember be brainwashed by Jenova to do her bidding, not killing Aerith, nothing. He was good with the kids and with his brothers. I marveled at how much he seemed to just fit in with all of us. 

Then again, he's known Cloud for almost ten years now. 

Anyway, now we were all settled down in the new house. It was more like a mansion and had a shit ton of rooms. Everyone got their own room. Funny thing too, Cloud didn't mind me keeping his zip up shirts. He had said that he had plenty of those. Right now I had woken up and taken a quick shower, then dressed in black jeans that hugged my legs and a zip up sleeveless shirt. I kept my feet bare for now and headed downstairs for breakfast. 

Tifa, Lucrecia and Yuffie were up with the kids, making a huge breakfast for everyone. The kitchen was huge and there was a dining room that had it's own little buffet table. The kitchen even had it's own island, which was also huge. 

“Morning, Shelly!” Marlene greeted me with a hug. 

“Morning.” I yawned and sat down at the island. 

“What would you like to drink?” Lucrecia asked me. 

“One of my sodas.” I replied, yawning again. 

Lucrecia handed me one of my sodas, the one that tastes like Pepsi. I opened it and took a sip of it. Night whined and butted her head on my thigh. 

“Come here, Night!” Marlene said as she got Night's food bowl ready. Night went over and began eating. 

I rubbed Marlene's head as a thank you and sipped my soda. It was just another hour when everyone began getting up and people were piling up in the living room and dining room, ready for breakfast. Loz, Yazoo and Kadaj greeted me with hugs. Cid greeted me with a rough pat on the head and I smacked his shoulder playfully. 

“Ey! No hitting me!” He complained. 

“Then don't give me a rough pat on the head.” I said. “I'll bite you next time.” 

“Kinky, hmm?” 

My face flushed bright red and Cid burst out laughing. I shook my head and left the dining room, going back into the kitchen to help start putting bowls of food on the buffet table in the dining room. Marlene and Denzel stayed out of the way until all the food was in the dining room and Tifa called that breakfast was ready. The kids went first and they sat down in the kitchen at the island. I made sure the kids got drinks before getting my own food, sitting down between Kadaj and Sephiroth. This felt so fucking weird. It was like being around a big family for a holiday. 

I felt comfortable around everyone though. They....

They were my family. 

I knew I was never going back to Earth. I knew my friends and family were worried about me there. But I had a job to do. I had to protect the Planet. I needed to. I was quiet while everyone else talked. After breakfast, Tifa, Cloud and I started doing the dishes. 

“Cloud....” I began and the blonde looked at me. “I want to go to the Forgotten City.” 

He and Tifa stopped doing dishes and looked at me. I continued. “I want to go see it. See the city. I've been wanting to ask you for a while now, but we were so busy with moving here that I thought it would be rude of me to ask while we were moving. I.....I have an urge to go.” 

“I don't see why not. We'll go after cleaning up.” he said. 

I nodded and continued helping them. After the breakfast mess was all cleaned up, Cloud announced to the others that we were all going to the Forgotten City. 

“What fer?” Barret asked, not liking the idea. 

I stuffed my hands into my pockets and shifted my weight onto my other foot. “I have a feeling.” 

“A feelin'? Just 'cause you got a feelin' doesn't mean we need to go to the Forgotten City.” Barret huffed. 

“Barret,” Red XIII turned to the large man. 

Barret grumbled. “Fine.” 

“We'll head out in an hour.” Cloud said. 

I took that hour to get my stuff ready. I put both the Black Materia and White Materia in cloth, keeping them separated from each other. The only ones who weren't going were Lucrecia, the kids, Night and the Remnants. I put the Materia in my bag and along with the other ones I was given by Tifa. Since they had so many, they gave me one of each. I sighed softly to myself and headed downstairs as the hour was up. My sword clanked against my back lightly. It was one of Cloud's old swords. It wasn't heavy for me at all. The Force Stealer was something that I just seemed to connect with. 

“Alright! Whoever is going, get your asses on the Shera!” Cid shouted. 

Once everyone was on the airship, we flew to the Northern Continent. I sat down the entire time, not wanting to look down. I still had a fear of heights. I was probably never going to get over it. About a half hour later, we reached the Bone Village. Cid parked the airship and we all got off. Cloud brought out the Lunar Harp. It was prettier than I thought. 

We walked into the Bone village and went up to the archway that had the Sleeping Forest. “Shell, I think you should go first. Just lead us where you want to go.” Red told me. 

I gave a nod and Cloud gave me the Lunar Harp. I walked in slowly, lightly tugging one of the strings on the Lunar Harp. The Sleeping Forest glowed a bit and I heard a gentle voice in my head. 

_You may pass._

“Guys, we can go.” I called out for them. 

With that, we headed off to the Forgotten City. We passed through Coral Valley and when we reached a walkway that was on a hill, I gasped softly. I could see the white trees from the hill. I hurried down the hill, hearing Tifa call out my name. I didn't stop. I wanted to see the city. I finally came to a small bridge with crystal blue water flowing underneath it and I gasped softly. 

This place was so...beautiful. 

I ran straight, towards the white trees. I soon came to the small hallway-like area, seeing the rocks, the trees and the bushes. They were all glowing white and blue and it looked so beautiful. I breathed a bit heavy from running and walked down the walkway, soon coming upon the conch house. The white trees were surrounding it, the small lake was sparkling from the sunlight reflecting off of it. I ran along the edge of the lake, my covered feet touching the water. I touched the railing, feeling the cool, smooth surface of it. I gulped silently as I walked into the conch house and felt my breath hitch when I saw bright blue stairs open. 

Like someone was waiting for me. 

I walked up the spiral to the stairs, seeing how they went down. I touched the railing, which was smooth as well and began to climb down the stairs. I was met with a breath-taking sight. I was in the City of the Ancients. It was more beautiful than I ever imagined. There were crystals everywhere and I could see the alter where Aerith prayed for Holy. I felt dizzy just taking it all in. 

I came to the end of the stairs and made my way around, then another small, curved flight of stairs. I couldn't believe I was really here, able to see all this. Was it because I was the Guardian? 

It had to be. 

I walked down a few more steps and approached the stones that would let me reach the alter. I jumped the stones one by one, soon jumping onto the alter. I grunted softly and walked up the stairs, looking above me. I could see the blue stairs and how far up they went. I looked all around me, just taking it all in. It was just so beautiful. 

But I didn't understand. 

Why did I have the urge to come here? 

Like....something or someone was beckoning for me to come here. 

I suddenly saw something out of the corner of my eye and looked down at my bag, seeing a glow coming from inside. I reached in and grabbed the clothed White Materia. I took the cloth away from it and saw that it was glowing. Not green, but just....glowing. Like it was reacting to being here. 

“Are you trying to show me something?” I asked the Materia softly. 

The White Materia glowed even more and I shielded my eyes with my arm, squinting at the Materia as it began to play images. Images that involved Sephiroth. My eyes widened as they showed images of the Nibelheim incident, Sephiroth hurting Tifa and Zack and Cloud....killing Aerith. 

That's when it all came to me. 

I had been wrong this entire time. 

Sephiroth hadn't been brainwashed by Jenova....he had gone literally insane. And when he came back, he was the one controlling Jenova. It wasn't....

“No!” I cried out as everything was forced into my mind. I fell to the floor of the alter as white light blinded me, covering the entire city in the light. I clutched my head, tears streaming down my face from the pain of everything being forced into my mind. I had been wrong this entire time. 

I could hear voices calling out my name as the blinding light began to subside. Once it completely stopped, I shakily picked up the Materia and placed it in my bag. I stood up and began walking down the stairs, stumbling. As I reached the edge of the alter, I stumbled and lost my footing, beginning to topple. Before that could happen, I fell against someone taller than me. I looked up with weak eyes and found emerald orbs staring into my hazel ones. 

I looked down, my vision blurring greatly. It didn't take but a few moments before my eyes closed and I slipped into a dark sleep.


	10. Chapter 10

“......don't know what happened......fever....” 

I scrunched my eyes as I heard voices. I felt hot, way too hot. But I also felt cold, way too cold. What was wrong with me? The last thing I remembered was going to the Forgotten City and....seeing those images....

I felt a cool hand touch my forehead gently, brushing my dark locks away from my face. I groaned softly and opened my eyes a bit, blinking rapidly. I glanced over at whoever had their hand on my forehead and saw those warm, green eyes of Lucrecia staring down at me with concern. 

“Hello.” She said softly. 

“What happened?” I mumbled. 

“You passed out sweetie. How are you feeling?” she asked softly. 

“Disoriented,” I replied, trying not to move much since my head was killing me. 

“You have a fever and probably a headache.” Lucrecia said. “You get some rest and I'll check on you later.” 

I gave a brief nod and closed my eyes as she kissed my forehead. It didn't take me long to fall back asleep. When I woke up again, it was morning and I was feeling better. I sat up slowly and rubbed my head, letting out a soft groan. The fever was gone along with the headache, but I still felt weird. I sighed softly and got out of bed, leaving my room. I didn't hear any voices, so everyone must've still been asleep. I used the quiet time to take a shower, knowing Marlene and Denzel were at school. 

After taking my shower, I decided to pick out an official outfit since everyone else had one. I picked out dark blue jeans that were baggy (almost like Cloud's) and a white tank top with a short sleeve black zip-up shirt with the collar reaching my neck and I only zipped it up to my stomach. I put my sword holder on my back, connecting to my belt with belts to keep the holder in place. I also wore heavy boots and black gloves on my hands. I sighed and grabbed my bag, making sure it had everything in it. Both the Black Materia and the White Materia were in it. I picked up an armor and put some Materia in the slots, then put some in the Force Stealer as well. 

I had to speak with Rufus. 

I grabbed my keys for my motorcycle (which I had bought myself) and headed out to it quietly. Night meowed and followed me. Cloud had designed a special seat for her right behind my seat. It would allow her to stay on safely. I made sure to grab my goggles on the way. I didn't want the wind whipping my hair in my face. I put my goggles on my face and got on my motorcycle, driving off. I don't know why....

But something felt wrong with Shinra. Like they were in danger, or they were the ones causing the danger. I could only suspect Rufus was behind it. It took me about a half hour to get to Healen Lodge and I parked outside, turning the vehicle off. I put the keys in my pocket and walked up the stairs to the Shinra cabin. I knocked on the door and was surprised when it opened slightly. 

I pulled my goggles off and put them in my pocket, before slowly opening the door. To my complete surprise, the Turks were all on the ground, unconscious and bleeding from various places. I gasped and went over to the nearest one, which was Reno. Night meowed in surprised and hurried over to him, licking his face gently. 

“Reno!” I went to his side and pulled him onto his back. I grimaced when I saw a deep gash in his chest. “Reno, wake up!” 

The red-headed Turk stirred and his eyes opened, landing on me. “H-hey, toots...” 

“Reno, what happened? Where's Rufus?” I asked. 

“H-he was taken by....by someone....I-I don't know-AGH, GOD!” He cried out when he had tried to sit up. 

I quickly brought out my Restore Materia and did a Cure All on all four Turks. It was enough to heal their wounds completely. “Did this guy say anything about where he was going?” 

“Shinra.” Reno groaned as he sat up. 

I rushed out of the cabin, hurrying down to my bike. Night followed me, hopping in her seat as I quickly called Cloud. It took a few tries, but he finally answered. _“Shell, what's wrong?”_

“Rufus Shinra has been kidnapped.” I blurted out. 

_“Kidnapped? Where? Where are you?”_ he asked, his tone becoming serious. 

“Yes, Reno said to Shinra and I'm heading there now. Gather everyone and meet me at the Shinra Building.” 

_“No, it's too dangerous for you to go. You need to come-.”_

“Cloud, this is probably a matter of life or death! Look, Rufus isn't exactly a good guy and rich and pompous and shit, but whoever's got him is probably going to kill him. And.....I can't let that happen. I'm the Guardian, remember?” 

There was silence for a long moment before Cloud sighed softly. _“Alright, we'll meet you there. Please be careful. Lucrecia will have my head if something happens to you.”_

“Got it. I'll be alright.” I said and hung up, then hopped on as I put my goggles on. I drove off, speeding to get to Shinra. I knew something was wrong. I could fucking feel it. I didn't exactly like Rufus Shinra and I didn't even like Shinra itself, but that man doesn't deserve to die. Something was going on and I didn't like it, at all. 

When I reached Shinra, I parked my bike and Night jumped off, sniffing around. She meowed at me. “Did you catch his scent, girl?” I asked her. 

She answered me by darting off towards one of the sectors, having me quickly follow her. We went deep into the sector and Night went over to a door that was locked with chains. I brought out my sword and swung at the chains, cutting them away from the door. I kept my sword in my hand and opened the door, my eyes narrowing when I saw a flight of stairs that descended into darkness. Night yowled at me softly. 

“I know, but we gotta find him.” I said. 

We headed down the stairs slowly, Night letting out a meow every once in a while. We followed the stairs down for a while, before finally coming to an empty room, with a door and another flight of stairs. Night sniffed around and went to the door, yowling at me. I nodded and went over to the door, slowly opening it. The room that was beyond the room was a hallway, with two doors on each side. I frowned, not knowing which door to take. 

Night sniffed around the entire hallway and stopped at the first door on the right. I trusted her, so I went over to the door and pressed my ear against it. I heard voices from inside. There had to be a vent or something to hear what the voices were saying. I checked the other doors, glad that the second one on the right was a bathroom. And one of the stalls had a vent above it. 

“Bingo.” I said. 

I helped Night up first, then I climbed up and shut the vent. The voices were coming from behind us. We quietly crawled to the source of the voices and came to a vent, where Rufus was tied to a chair, sitting under a single, swinging light. His hands were tied behind his back with rope and he had more rope around his waist and torso. Hell, even his legs were tied to the legs of the chair. I could see blood and dirt matted in his strawberry, blonde hair. 

His suit was bloodied and torn in places. Jesus. 

“I'm going to ask you again, Shinra. Where is he?” A voice asked. It sounded deep, and had a distorted tone to it. 

“Where is who?” Rufus asked. 

“Don't play dumb with me, Shinra.” The voice hissed. 

“I have no idea what you're-” Before he could finish, Rufus let out a choked yelp as his wrist twisted the other side. I flinched, hearing the bone breaking. Fuck, I could even see the bone sticking out of his skin a bit and blood beginning to seep from the open wound. 

“I think you do.” The voice said and a cloaked man came into view. He wore a cloak that covered his entire body, even his feet. He wore gloves on his hands to conceal his hands. “So I'll ask you another question. Where's the Guardian?” 

“Guardian?” Rufus asked. 

“Yes. I've seen her with you. A brunette, young woman with hazel eyes.” 

“I'm afraid you'll have to be more specific. I know a good amount of women with brown hair and hazel eyes.” Rufus said. 

The man raised his hand and I jumped slightly when the hand landed across the President's face, snapping his head to the side. Rufus merely moved his head again and spat out blood. The man seemed to shake his head and waved his hand, summoning a long knife with a very sharp blade. 

_Oh shit. I thought._

I covered my mouth when the blonde-haired man let out a choked scream as the knife dug into his side painfully. The man twisted the knife, slicing through what probably was muscles and tendons. Before he could take the knife out, another cloaked person swung open the door and ran inside. 

“Sir! She's here! The Guardian is here!” 

The man growled, keeping the knife in Rufus' side. “Find her. Is Sephiroth, or the Remnants with her?” 

“No, sir. Just her and her pet.” 

“Find her! NOW!” The man roared, leaving the room and slamming the door shut behind him. Rufus trembled in the chair he was tied to, spitting out more blood. I opened the grate and jumped down in front of him, Night following me. 

Rufus glanced up at me and I saw him scowl. “Y-you shouldn't be here.” 

“Well, I am. Now shut up.” I said and knelt down in front of him. “This is gonna hurt.” I said and yanked the knife out. Blood immediately began gushing from the wound and Rufus groaned, his head beginning to hang a bit. “Nuh-uh!” I said, grabbing his head and forcing him to look at me. He looked at me with dull, blue eyes, instead of the normally piercing blue ones they usually were. Both of his eyes were already turning black and blue and his lip was split badly. “Gotta stay awake, Rufus. Don't fall asleep on me. You might not wake up.” 

“Dully noted...” He mumbled. 

I cut his bonds with the bloodied knife and tossed it away from me. I searched for my Cure Materia, then paled. 

I left it with Reno. 

“Fuck.” I muttered and quickly called Reno. 

_“Shell! Did you find him?!”_ Reno's voice shouted. 

“Yes and listen carefully. He's badly hurt and I need you guys to have a stretcher ready to go. Warn Cloud and the others. A guy covered in a cloak is after Sephiroth and the Remnants, keep them safe at all cost.” I said as quickly as I could. 

_“What about you?”_ Reno asked. 

“We'll worry about me later. Just get the stretcher ready.” I said and hung up. “Alright, come on, Rufus. We gotta get you out of here.” I grabbed his arm and swung it over my shoulder. His hand held onto his wounded side, trying to stop the bleeding. We quickly left the room and to my surprise, we were able to get up the stairs and out of there quickly. I looked up as both a Shinra helicopter and the Shera descended to where my bike was, but didn't land. 

Rude opened the chopper door, quickly jumping out and running over to help. “Medical attention, now.” I said and helped Rude carry Rufus to the chopper. Rude got him inside and onto the stretcher, strapping him in. I glanced at Rufus as he looked at me, shakily reaching a hand out. “You're gonna be alright.” 

“W-wait...” He began. 

I shut the chopper door before he could say anything else and Reno quickly flew off to the hospital. I sighed softly and glanced at my clothes, seeing blood on them. Night meowed at me. “I'm fine, it's Rufus' blood, not mine.” 

Cloud jumped off the Shera, coming towards me. “What happened to Rufus?” 

“Some guy was torturing him for information on Sephiroth and the Remnants...and me.” I replied. 

Cloud opened his mouth to speak, but then he looked above my head and his eyes narrowed a bit. I turned around and immediately groaned. “You've got to be kidding me.” 

A barrage of flying monsters was coming from the sky above Edge. I could hear the screams of the civilians from the city. I sighed and went over to my motorcycle. “This is going to be exciting.” I said, letting Night hop on in her seat and I drove off as Cloud got back onto the Shera. We headed towards my first battle.


	11. Chapter 11

Night pounced on one of the flying monsters, not caring that it screeched when her jaws closed around its throat and tore it right out. The monster gurgled as blood gushed from the open wound and soon went still as it died. I cut one in half with my sword when it came towards me, looking around for the person who was causing this. I knew he was the one causing this. It wasn't too hard to guess. 

“Sister, behind you!” Kadaj cried. 

I whirled around to see one of the monsters coming at me with jaws open wide. I wouldn't have time to duck, or even move. 

Until it was sliced right in half before my eyes. Blood splashed on my clothes and skin, the halves falling onto the ground with a disgusting thud. I glanced at Sephiroth, nodding my thanks. “Now we just gotta find this guy....” I said. 

Night growled, her haunches standing straight up. She was looking at the Shinra ruins. We had just came from there, but I had a hunch that guy was there. “That guy is there.” I said. “I'm going.” 

“Sister, you can't!” Loz cried. 

“I have to. I have to find out why he's after us. The rest of you guys stay here. Night and I will go.” I said. 

“No, you won't.” Sephiroth spoke and I looked at him. “It's too dangerous for you to go alone. We will go with you.” 

I looked among him and the Remnants, who all looked determined. I gave a soft sigh and nodded, then the six of us headed for the Shinra ruins. Night led the way, growling and snarling as we got closer. We started climbing what we could, having to stop a couple times. Night snarled and jumped above us, getting way too ahead of us. 

“Night!” I called. “Wait!” 

I heard her snarl loudly and I heard a whoosh with a bright light ahead of us and then a yelp from Night. She was thrown past us and hit a slab of concrete, then fell onto another slab and lay motionless. I stood there for a long moment before I cried. “NIGHT!” 

I jumped down to her and collapsed at her side, breathing hard. There was a large, open gash on her stomach and blood was coming out way too fast for me to even try and stop it. I quickly brought out my Cure Materia. “H-hold on girl, I'm gonna heal you.” I trembled, rubbing her head as I started healing her. 

Night mewled weakly, looking up at me with her pretty, blue eyes. She shakily leaned up and licked my cheek. Her lips almost formed what looked like a smile, before her head fell back down and she took a deep breath before she went still. 

I dropped my Cure Materia in shock, watching her eyes close. “N-Night? N-no, come on, don't....don't do this to me!” I pulled her into my lap, hugging her head to my chest. “Please don't go! Don't you die on me, damnit!!” 

She didn't move at all. She didn't open her eyes and lick my cheek. I shut my eyes tightly and buried my face in her fur as I sobbed. I didn't care that I was becoming soaked in her blood. I held her cooling body against me, sobbing into her fur. I heard footfalls, sensing the presence of Sephiroth and his brothers. 

“S-sister....” Loz said quietly. 

I opened my eyes to look at him. His emerald eyes were glazing over with tears and he had his hand on Night's back. He had loved her as much as I did. I felt anger boiling through me at the loss of my friend. I slowly let Night go, letting Loz hold her. 

“That bastard....” I whispered, trembling. 

“Shell-” Sephiroth began. 

“THAT FUCKER!” I snarled and quickly climbed my way to where the man was. When I got up there, I brought out my sword, glaring at the cloaked man before me. “You son of a bitch....you killed her!” 

“Are you saddened over the loss of that hellcat? Such a shame....there's no reason to be sad.” He spoke, his voice laced with a smirk that I knew he had on his face. 

I growled and charged at him, my legs carrying me. I had been training with Cloud, so I had gained muscle in my legs and arms. I swung my sword, then cried out when pain erupted in my back. I fell to one knee, groaning. He had cut into my back with something, but the bastard wasn't even holding anything. I glanced at him, glaring and charged again, swinging hard for his side. 

To my surprise, he vanished. I quickly whirled around, swinging my sword hard. Gloved fingers caught my sword and from how hard I swung, the stop had caused a vibration through the sword and went right to my left wrist. 

With a sickening crack, my wrist broke under the pressure. 

I cried out and stepped back, pieces of my sword dropping to the ground. Not only had he broken my wrist, but my sword had cracked and fell apart. I held my wrist to my chest, gasping. 

“Now that your sword is out of the way....” 

I glanced up, only to gasp as the same gloved hand came towards me and slammed right into my chest. I had expected to be thrown back, but instead, the gloved hand went into my chest all the way up to his wrist. My eyes widened and I could only stare in shock at the hand that was in my chest. 

“I can kill you. With you out of the way, the Reunion will happen.” the man whispered in my ear, grabbing my right arm with his free hand. “Jenova will take back what is rightfully hers....and I will be God.” 

The same time he pulled his hand out of my chest, he ripped my right arm completely off, leaving me a stump at my shoulder. I screamed as blood began pouring from both my stump of an arm and the hole in my chest. The man pushed me back, seeming to grin as I hit the ground. I gasped, not able to get up as I was becoming soaked in more blood. My vision blurred and I was hardly able to even make out what was going on. 

I watched as the man vanished and heard voices calling out my name. 

“Sister!!” 

I wheezed, attempting to speak. It was hard to when there was a hole in my chest. “Wrap her wounds, quickly!” 

I was moved around slightly, my stump being wrapped up in cloth and tied. Something was pressed over my chest and I was picked up. I closed my eyes for a moment and the next time I opened them, I was being strapped to a stretcher and an oxygen mask was being put over my mouth and nose. I glanced up, seeing the red, spiky hair of Reno. 

“Hang on......hospital...” his voice was faint and I could barely hear him. 

I was put into the chopper, with Rude at my side. I shut my eyes, not knowing what was going to happen to me. I just really wanted to sleep. I managed to stay awake through the pain until I got into the operating room. Everything was just too much for me. As soon as they put the mask on me, I was unconscious. 

0000000000000000000000

Cloud sighed softly, leaning back in his seat. Everyone was in the waiting room, the whole party. Red XIII was laying on the ground, with Yuffie leaning against him. Everyone was hurt in some way. Cloud had minor scratches and a large bruise forming on his side, Tifa's knuckles were wrapped up, Barret was sporting a good cut on his forearm and had a bandage over it, Red had a few scratches but nothing really major, Yuffie would have a limp for a while from one of the creatures nearly taking her with it because it thought she was lunch. Vincent was unharmed, as he had been the one to save Yuffie from becoming monster food. Cid's left arm was broken, the Remnants were mainly unharmed, saved for a few scratches and bruises. Sephiroth himself was unharmed. 

Lucrecia was a mess. She had been crying from the moment she left Kalm to come see everyone. She was even more of a mess when she found out what happened to Shell. No one knew if she was going to live or not. Her wounds had been extremely deadly. A hole in her chest and missing an arm....no one knew what was going to happen. 

“Cloud.....” Tifa touched the blonde's arm gently. “Are you alright?” 

“I'm alright, Tifa. I'm just....” 

“Worried. I am too....we all saw her....” 

Cloud sighed and glanced over at the silver-haired man. “Sephiroth...” 

The emerald eyed man glanced over at him. 

“Were you able to get a look at the guy who did this?” Cloud asked. 

“No.” Sephiroth shook his head. 

“He killed Night and hurt Sister....” Loz seethed. 

“He'll pay for what he did, don't worry.” Kadaj said, determination in his voice. 

“I don't think any of us are in the position to go after this guy.” Red shook his head. “All of us are injured in some way and we don't know of Shelby's condition.” 

“Shelby?” Cid grunted. 

Red rolled his good eye. “That is Shell's real name. And if you would rather piss her off, don't call her that when she's around. I personally think it's a beautiful name.” 

“Feh, I don't like it.” Cid grumbled. “Shell suits her better.” 

“Or Shelly.” Yuffie added. Yuffie personally liked Shelly better, than Shell or Shelby. She sniffed and leaned against Red XIII, who had laid his head back down. 

Sephiroth closed his emerald eyes, becoming lost in his thoughts. He could hear his mother sniffling softly. He opened his eyes when he heard footsteps and glanced over, seeing the Turks walking into the waiting room. 

“How's Rufus?” Cloud asked the Turks. 

“He's stable. A small surgery needed, but other than that, he's alright.” Reno sighed, scratching the back of his head. “How's Shell?” 

“We haven't gotten a word on her yet.” Tifa shook her head. 

Just as Reno was about to open his mouth, the surgeon came out of the back, pulling down his crinkled mask. The green uniform he wore was dirty, blood and other fluids spread on it. “Who here is family of Shelby?” 

“We all are.” Lucrecia said. 

“I mean relatives. Parents, siblings-.” 

“All of us are 'er family! Now how is she?!” Cid barked, glaring at the surgeon. 

“She's stable. Unconscious, but stable. We've put her ICU for now, until her condition improves. We can allow two visitors at a time, so who would like to go see her first?” the surgeon asked. 

“Lucrecia, you should go see her.” Tifa nudged the older woman's arm. 

“Take Sephiroth with you.” Cloud suggested. 

Lucrecia nodded and followed the surgeon back, her son following her. When they got to the room, Lucrecia nearly burst out into tears. Shell looked horrible. Both of her eyes were black and blue and she was hooked up to several machines to keep her comfortable. Lucrecia walked in, shaking and terrified for her. Her stump was bandaged up. The silver-haired man kept a straight, calm face. But internally, he was thinking of several different ways he could murder the man who did this to her. He didn't know when he started thinking like this, but it was almost like...he felt a connection to Shell. She had protected him and still was, no matter the sort of situation she was in. She always made sure him and the others were protected first. 

Lucrecia gently held Shell's hand, feeling how limp it was. She had to avoid crying. “Oh Shell....” 

“She is strong, mother,” he said softly, sitting on the other side. He could hear the sound of the heart monitor beating steadily. At least she was stable. 

“We'll see how her condition improves and if so, we'll move her to a regular room.” the surgeon said, nodding. “Just a few minutes with her.” 

Lucrecia nodded and the surgeon left. She kept on holding Shell's hand until their few minutes of visiting time was up and she stood up, leaning over gently to kiss the younger girl's forehead. “You're strong, Shell. You'll get through this.” she whispered. 

Lucrecia let go of her hand and went to the door, waiting for her son. Sephiroth stood on the side that Lucrecia had just been on and he reached down, his hand brushing against hers. He felt her hand twitch and he looked down, seeing that her fingers were slightly curled, if only very little. He placed his slightly larger hand in her smaller one and her fingers immediately curled around it, as if she could hear him. He squeezed her hand gently before he released her and left with his mother, who looped her arm with his as they left. 

They didn't notice a single tear falling down Shell's cheek.


	12. Chapter 12

I opened my eyes, feeling the warm sensation of being hugged against someone. I turned my eyes to the left, seeing the gentle flowing of the small, green river just about twenty feet away from me. The same one Aerith pushed me in to take me to Gaia. 

“Finally awake, are we?” 

I turned my eyes up and gasped softly when I saw the familiar face. Bright, blue eyes and long, black spiky hair...who else would it be? “Z...Zack?” 

He smiled brightly. “Hey there, Shell. Nice to finally meet you.” 

I noticed his arms were around me, almost like he was cuddling me. I looked down for a moment, seeing that he had me in his lap. I turned my eyes back to Zack. “Nice to meet you too....where are we?” I asked, looking around. 

“Well, you're in a coma of sorts. You've been asleep for a couple of days.” he replied, lightly touching my hair. “You've got a hole in your chest and your right arm is gone.” 

“So is Night...” I said softly, clenching my fist together. 

I could feel Zack's attitude go sullen and he rubbed my back, knowing the pain I was feeling from her murder. “I know....I'm sorry I couldn't stop that from happening....I'm still trying to find out who this enemy working for Jenova is...” 

I sighed heavily and leaned against him, tired all of a sudden. 

“I think it's time for you to wake up, Shell...” 

Zack's voice faded out and I scrunched my eyes, opening them very slowly. I could hear the steady beating of a machine, which I could only think of it being the heart monitor. I glanced over to the side, seeing Lucrecia sleeping in the chair next to the bed. 

“Lu.....Lucrecia....” I spoke in a scratchy voice. 

Lucrecia stirred and opened her green eyes, looking up at me. “Shell! Oh, you're awake...!” she immediately scooted closer to the bed, gripping my good hand. 

“How long have I been out...?” I asked. 

“A few days, going on four now.” Lucrecia replied, rubbing her eyes tiredly. “How do you feel?” 

“It hurts to move...” 

“Hold on, I'll get the doctor.” she said and got up, leaving the room to get the doctor. 

I laid there while Lucrecia got the doctor. It was about five minutes, but she finally came in with a doctor who looked to be in his mid 50's. He smiled kindly when he saw me. “Hello Miss Hartford, how are you feeling?” 

“Sore.” I replied. 

“I figured as much. Let's get you sitting up.” he said and pushed the button on the bed to push it up so I could sit up. 

I winced a bit and sighed once he let go of the button. He checked the bandages on my chest, clicking his tongue. “I'll have a nurse come in and change your bandages. I'm sure you don't want an old man like me touching your chest.” he joked. 

“Right...” I said. 

He patted my shoulder gently and left the room, where a kind-looking nurse came in. Lucrecia decided to stay in the room so she could watch how the nurse changed the bandages around my chest and the stump of my arm. I looked down at my chest, seeing the different colored skin there where the hole was. 

“We couldn't find a skin your exact tone, so we had to use whatever was closest. The hole will patch up and the skin will go with it, and within a year, you'll only be able to tell that the part of your chest is just a different tone.” the nurse explained to me. 

“Huh....I thought you would've just stitched the hole up.” I said. 

“It was a pretty big hole.....we lost you nearly three times while trying to stop the bleeding and during the surgery. You're strong though, very strong.” she smiled. 

I glanced away from her. I wasn't as strong as I thought I was. 

After my bandages were changed, Lucrecia decided to step out for a moment. I was watching television when I heard a knock. I glanced over and was a bit surprised to see Sephiroth standing there, his emerald eyes gazing to me. 

“May I come in?” he asked, his deep voice going straight to my mind. 

I nodded and he walked in, taking a seat where Lucrecia had been sitting. He looked....normal. He wore a simple pair of dark blue jeans, a white button up long sleeve shirt and black shoes. He looked....really nice. “How are you feeling?” he asked. 

“Okay....I think. I'm sore and it's hard to move. The doctor said I'll have to stay here until I can move more, which might take a month....or more. Depending on how fast my recovery is.” I answered, looking at him now. 

“And your...arm?” the silver-haired man seemed a bit hesitant on asking about my arm. 

“Not sure.” I sighed softly. “Maybe I'll get a prosthetic, who knows. If not, I'll have to learn how to write with my left hand. But that'll take a while since my left wrist it broken. I can barely even grip anything with it being broken.” I lifted up my left hand, wiggling my fingers slightly. They were very stiff and I couldn't really grip that well. 

Sephiroth sat there for a long moment, then he held out his hand. “Give me your hand.” 

I arched an eyebrow and gave him my hand, which was cool to the touch, but not unpleasant. He held my hand in his for a moment before he gently squeezed. “Does this hurt?” he asked in a soft voice. 

“No.” I replied just as softly. “In all, it...actually comforts me.” 

“You are strong, Shell.” he scooted a bit closer to the bed, still holding my hand in his larger one. 

I watched him, watching as he got up and sat on the edge of the bed. Though he was bigger than me, his weight didn't bother the metal frame of the hospital bed. His free hand, which was his left hand, came up to my cheek, gently cradling it. My eyelids slid down a bit, only open halfway now. I welcomed his touch, almost like I've known him for several years. 

I guess technically I have. Mostly through a television screen and computer screen. 

“You'll get through this...look what all you've done for us, for me...” he whispered, pressing his forehead to mine. 

I closed my eyes, enjoying the closeness and the scent of him. He smelled masculine and...something else, something sweet. Like chocolate. “You believe I'm strong?” I whispered, not bothering to open my eyes. 

“You are more than strong.” his voice couldn't get any softer and I could just get lost in his voice. I felt his thumb brush against my bandaged cheek, his head tilting to the side a bit. I felt heat rise to my cheeks when his lips barely brushed against mine-

There was then a knock, which startled me a bit and made me open my eyes. Sephiroth's emerald eyes were already open, and he looked slightly annoyed. We both glanced over to see Reno standing there, blinking. “Hey uh....sorry to interrupt, but Rufus wants to talk to ya. If you'll let him.” 

I sighed softly. “Yeah.” 

Reno nodded and left, to get Rufus I presumed. Sephiroth looked back to me and his hand fell away from my face. “I'll come back when you're done speaking with Rufus.” he said, getting up and letting go of my hand. 

I felt myself aching for his touch. I didn't say anything though and watched as he left. It was a few minutes of silence before Rufus was wheeled into the room by Reno. He was bandaged up, just like me and looked just as bad as I did. He was wheeled up to the bed and Reno sat in the chair. 

“You look just as bad as I do.” I commented. 

“Aren't you hilarious. I was just going to say the same thing.” he said. 

I rolled my eyes and sighed through my nose. “So what do you want?” 

“One: I wanted to thank you for getting me away from that maniac. For two: I wanted to discuss about your missing limb.” Rufus replied. 

“What about it? It's too late to try and reattach it. I don't even know where it is.” I said. 

“In exchange for helping me escape, I will pay for you getting a prosthetic limb, of course, Shinra property.” he said. “The thing is though, you would be the first to have this new technology we've been working on. It would be mechanical and we would have to connect it to the nerves in your arm, therefore, your whole body.” 

_Sounds like a rip off of Fullmetal Alchemist._ I thought, almost laughing at the thought. “When would you want to have the surgery done?” 

“After both of us have recovered from our injuries. I wouldn't want to cause stress on your already weakened heart.” Rufus replied. 

I eyed him for a long moment. “Give me some time to think about it, Rufus. I'll provide you with an answer soon.” 

The blonde gave a single nod and he was wheeled out by Reno. I leaned back and closed my eyes. 

I had a lot to think about. 

The next day, Cloud came in with Tifa and Cid, who all three seemed a bit cautious on my decision with getting the prosthetic arm from Shinra. “I mean, are you sure you want to do this, Shell? What if Rufus decides to do something to you?” Tifa asked. 

“Oh, he won't. Rufus is a lot of things, but he's set on this.” I replied. “He's even willing to pay for the whole surgery. He said it's in exchange for saving his life.” 

“Should've known. That bastard is full of shit.” Cid scoffed. 

“Well, I can't live without my right arm, Cid. It's hard enough that I can write with my left hand at all, so getting a metal arm that would connect with my nerves would be....perfect.” I said. 

“She's right.” Cloud said, finally speaking. “As much as I dislike Rufus, he's willing to help her. If he has really given up on his quest to bring Shinra back, then I think we should let Shell do this. She's a grown woman and can make her own decisions.” 

“You sound like my older brother, Seth.” I laughed softly. 

“Feh....fine. But if that bastard tries something...” Cid grumbled. 

“Aw, are you being all father-like, Cid?” I asked, not hiding the bit of a smirk my face made. 

“Shut up.” he said and lightly cuffed my jaw, being extremely gentle. “Just don't let that bastard do anything dumb, or he'll answer to me.” 

“Right.” I nodded.


	13. Chapter 13

A month rolled by slower than it should have, and Shelby couldn't believe how useful a mechanical arm was. It served for creating some wicked punches, as she had punched a woman for trying to grope Cloud's ass a few weeks ago. Her new arm was connected to the nerves of her bicep, which made it easy to move and control. It just felt like she never lost her arm in the first place. She had been released back to Kalm just days ago, having mostly healed up by now. 

Of course, she still had a hunch that Rufus was up to something. 

He had been released before Shelby was and often came in to speak with her briefly, about her home world and just things that she enjoyed. Reno flat-out blurted out that Rufus had a _tiny_ crush on her, when said man wasn't in the room. Shelby was annoyed, obviously and informed Reno that she had no interest in the blond whatsoever, as she already had a liking to someone else. 

Said someone else was clearly annoyed with the Shinra president. 

Sephiroth was beside the young woman nearly 24/7, often telling her stories about his years in the SOLDIER army, as a General and even his childhood, which saddened Shelby greatly. She knew he didn't really have a childhood, since Hojo treated him as a research specimen. Besides the stories, they often took walks together, shared secrets and curious about where she had came from, he had asked her all about her home world and how different it was from Gaia. 

Their intimacy was low, which neither of them minded at all. No lip kisses were done, not since their near first kiss back in the hospital. Everyone in the house knew the two had a thing for each other, but Shelby refused to push either of them into a relationship of sorts. There were forehead and cheek kisses, and embraces, even hand-holding and cuddling (of sorts). Lucrecia and Marlene would speak to each other on how the two were made for each other, but kept that in secret. 

Even Cloud shipped them. 

And Tifa. 

Pretty much everyone at the house shipped them. 

“Why are we calling ya Shelby now?” 

Oh, right. Shelby got rid of that awful nickname, and encouraged everyone to call her by her actual name now. 

“Because 'Shell' is an awful nickname.” the brunette replied, sitting on the floor with her back to the couch, allowing Lucrecia to get a good view of her hair. Shelby noticed her hair had indeed grown over the time she had been in Gaia, and it had gotten spikier. Lucrecia enjoyed braiding her hair, and often put it over her shoulder, since Sephiroth didn't allow his hair to be braided. He allowed his mother to brush it, or just run her fingers through it, but he didn't like his hair to be braided. Said that 'it didn't feel like him', and preferred to put it in a low ponytail, or something. 

“I like it.” Red nodded in agreement, lying in front of the couch. “It's a very beautiful name, suits you well.” 

“Aren't you a charmer, Red.” Shelby chuckled softly, feeling Lucrecia kiss the top of her head. She got up, and was immediately alerted to the victory theme ringtone that came from her PHS. She flipped it open, and read the caller ID. 

Rufus Shinra. 

“Who is it?” Cloud asked. 

“Shinra.” Shelby replied with a sigh, answering the call. “What do you want, Shinra?” 

_“So hostile. I just wanted to check up on you.”_ the man's voice on the other end spoke, with a slightly amused tone. 

“I'm fine. Nothing wrong with the prosthetic, it's all good.” she replied, feeling eyes on her and glanced over to see Sephiroth gazing at her, an annoyed expression on his face. 

_“Excellent. Would you mind coming by for a short visit just so we can check it out? Make sure everything is in place.”_

“I guess.....” Shelby rolled her eyes. “I'll be there in 15.” 

“What's the prick want now?” Cid grumbled. 

“He wants to check up on my arm.” Shelby replied as she ended the call and flipped the PHS close, slipping it into her right front pocket. 

“I'll take you. I don't trust you going there by yourself.” Cloud nodded, getting up to pull his boots on. 

Shelby thanked him and walked over to the shoe rack, grabbing her boots and slipping them on. She was just standing back up from zipping up her boots when she felt a warm hand on her shoulder. She turned around, giving a soft smile at seeing the tall man before her. 

“I'll be alright, Seph.” she said softly. 

“I know, but I still worry. Rufus Shinra might not be...evil, per say, but he can be manipulative.” Sephiroth spoke, removing his hand from her shoulder to gently run his hand through her locks, the ones that were loose from her braid. 

“I know, which is why I don't trust Rufus at all.” she replied, leaning into the touch slightly. 

“Be careful.” he murmured, before he leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. 

Shelby nodded and headed outside to meet Cloud, hopping on behind him and wrapping her arms around his middle. 

“So, when are you two-?” 

“Don't even start, spiky.” Shelby warned, and she could feel Cloud chuckle softly. He revved his bike and took off towards Healin Lodge, as she pressed her face to his back. She still wasn't used to riding on the huge bike. Cloud was the only person she really trusted on a bike, maybe Kadaj or Loz, but that was about it. 

They arrived at Healin Lodge, about fifteen minutes later, just as Shelby had said. Cloud came to a slow stop, turning off the bike. “I'll wait out here.” he told her. 

Shelby nodded and got off the bike, heading up the stairs to the house. She brushed her bangs out of her eyes and knocked on the door. There were footsteps from inside, and the door opened, revealing Rude. 

“He's in his bedroom.” the bald man spoke. 

Shelby walked inside and was directed to the blond's bedroom, which was ajar ed. She knocked on the door and heard a faint 'come in', prompting her to enter the bedroom. The blond was pouring what looked like wine into two glasses, probably thinking that she was going to drink. 

“I don't drink, just to let you know.” Shelby said, wrinkling her nose. 

“Not even a little?” Rufus asked, raising an eyebrow at her. 

“No,” she replied. 

“Shame, and here I thought you enjoyed wine.” he sighed in disappointment, picking up his glass to take a sip before putting back down. “May I see your arm?” 

She approached him, holding out her metal limb to him. He took her wrist in one hand, observing the surface of the smooth metal, even pulling the sleeve of her jacket off to observe it closer. 

“There's nothing wrong with it. I'm impressed. You're taking care of your new limb very well.” he said. 

“It's stupid to think that I wouldn't.” Shelby shook her head. 

After a moment, the brunette realized Rufus hadn't released her yet. She tugged her wrist slightly, but he kept a firm hold on her. He stepped closer to her, getting into her personal space. Now, she never will like Rufus more than an ally, even if some others were infatuated with him. She just didn't see the appeal, plus he was an asshole. 

“Have you ever realized you're very beautiful?” he questioned, reaching up to brush the back of his fingers against her cheek. 

“No, and you need to let go, Rufus.” Shelby demanded, trying to tug her hand out of his grip. 

When she pulled her head away, the blond grabbed her jaw a bit more roughly than he intended to, forcing her to look at him. His blue eyes swept over her face, the locks of hair that caressed her forehead and cheeks. “Sephiroth doesn't deserve you. He doesn't deserve to even acknowledge you, Shelby. You'd be better off with someone else.” 

“Like you?” she spat, narrowing her eyes at him. 

A grin caressed his handsome features. “Yes, like me.” 

As soon as he began to lean his face closer to her, she brought her knee up and slammed it right into his crotch. The blond choked, his eyes going wide as pain erupted through his lower half. When he released her, she placed her foot on his stomach and kicked him backwards, sending him falling backwards onto the small coffee table, shattering the glasses that were upon the wood. 

Shelby pulled her jacket back onto her form and quickly opened the door, heading right for the front door. She heard Reno say something, but couldn't make it out as she swung it open and made her way down the stairs quickly. 

“What did Rufus want?” Cloud asked as she came down, though he immediately noticed her (more) pale expression and the water in her eyes. “What's wrong?” 

“I just want to go home, Cloud. Please drive quickly.” she said shakily. 

Within ten minutes, they were back at the house in Kalm and Shelby stayed on the bike for a moment, trembling slightly. Cloud had to gently take her arm to get her off the bike and guided her into the house, where she immediately went over to Lucrecia and hugged her, shutting her eyes as tears began to roll down her cheeks. 

“Whoa, what the fuck happened?” Cid questioned loudly. 

“Cid, not so loud.” Red scolded. 

“Shelby, sweetie, what happened?” Lucrecia asked softly, stroking the back of the young woman's head. 

Shelby shook her head, not answering and buried her face in the woman's shoulder. Lucrecia glanced to Cloud with a worried expression, and he only shook his head. Lucrecia decided to take Shelby up to her room, and speak with her privately about what happened. Eventually Lucrecia had to call her son into the room, to help pull Shelby through a violent panic attack. He held her hand and spoke softly to her, telling her that it was alright and that she was safe with them. 

After nearly an hour, Shelby calmed down enough for her tears to stop, and her sniffling to settle down. Lucrecia called for Cloud when Shelby asked, and he shut the door when he came in. After a moment, she finally informed them of what happened. 

“I'm going to kill him.” Cloud said, venom laced in his voice. 

“No, don't, just.....don't.” Shelby sniffled, reaching up to wipe at her eyes. “I shouldn't have gone. It's my own fault.” 

“Don't do that,” the silver-haired man spoke. “Nothing is your fault, Shelby. I don't want to hear you blame yourself again.” 

“He's right, sweetie.” Lucrecia said softly. 

After another half hour, Lucrecia and Cloud left, leaving the two in the room. It was beginning to get dark by now, the sun setting over the horizon. Shelby switched the bedside lamps on for light, and kept the curtains open to watch the sunset. She had eaten a bit, and was done halfway with a glass of juice. Now she was just a bit tired from her panic attack. 

“How are you feeling?” 

“Better, tired though.” the young woman replied softly, glancing back over to the bed, where Sephiroth made himself comfortable, of course on his own side. “Might go to bed early.” 

“I don't blame you for it. Turning in early is not always a bad thing.” he said, watching as she stared out the window, the soft hues of the sunset sliding over her face. He indeed thought she was beautiful, and to believe that she actually came from another dimension, where he and the others were mere _video game_ characters.....he didn't believe it at first, but after everything she had told him, how else could she have known about his past in such a detailed fashion? 

“Hm.” she murmured, glancing over to him once more and then looking away, unsure of herself. 

“What is it?” he asked quietly, getting off the bed and approaching her. 

“I don't know....this all....is just so strange. I never expected to go into one of my favorite video games and have the fate of a whole planet in my hands.” Shelby replied. “I....I still don't know what to _do_. I was able to bring back Lucrecia.....and reunite her with Vincent. Your brothers are here and they're doing so _well_. Genesis is still out there....so is Nero and Weiss....and Shelke's sister is out there someway, in a frozen coma.” 

She shook her head, letting out a soft, shaky sigh. She felt tears brim in her eyes, but not of what happened earlier, but....just everything. “I never expected to find _you_.” she whispered, turning slightly towards him. “I didn't expect to, and when I did, I didn't know what to do. You were in a Mako coma....and I wasn't sure if you were going to come out of it or not. But here you are....in the flesh.” 

Shelby glanced down at the floor again, feeling a hand brush against her own smaller one, fingers touching hers, tenderly. “When I first saw you, I was so worried, so damn worried. I had so many thoughts. What if Jenova was still controlling you? What if she never released her hold on you? How was I suppose to make you _come back_ from her?” 

“But I wasn't.” Sephiroth murmured. 

“No, you weren't. I was so _grateful_,” she sniffled, not bothering to reach up to brush her tears away. “But I didn't know how to explain this all to you....and I still don't know how to tell you.”

She glanced up back to him, meeting his emerald gaze with her own hazel ones. Locking eyes with another was very intimate for her. “I......I love you. I've always loved you, no matter how many evil things you did. It wasn't your fault. It was never your fault. I know this may sound creepy, or just downright obsessive, but I've always loved you, since the first time I saw you.” 

She sniffled, shutting her eyes to try and stop the tears from flowing. After a brief moment, hands cupped her cheeks, thumbs brushing away her tears. She opened her eyes, allowing her head to be tilted up to meet his gaze once more. The man pressed his forehead to hers, thumbs stroking her cheeks tenderly. 

“I was smitten with you, at first sight. I don't know what it was....but, you were there. You kept us all together, sacrificing your own life for all of us.” he sighed softly, taking one hand down and bracing it on her waist, gentle, tender. He tugged her closer, and she braced her hands on his broad chest, fingers curling into his button-up. 

He sighed once more, his warm breath ghosting across her cheeks. “Shelby,” 

And then he was pressing his lips to hers, finally doing what he should have done weeks ago. 

Shelby felt her heart sore. She was almost blank on what to do for a moment, until she closed her eyes slowly, relaxing and keeping her hands curled into the silver-haired man's shirt, concerned with keeping him close. It was everything she imagined and _more_. His lips were soft, almost like silky velvet. She let out a soft noise and moved her lips against his, recuperating the kiss just as softly. The hand on her cheek moved to the back of her head, and he pressed closer to her, deepening the kiss, but no less gentle than before. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her, or upset her in any way. 

After what felt like hours, he finally pulled away from her, letting both of them breathe for a moment. He pressed soft kisses along her cheeks and forehead, stopping by the corner of her lips. 

“And I have loved you since the beginning.” 

Shelby's heart soars once more at his confession and when he leans in to kiss her again, she closes her eyes and only thinks, just how much she loves him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did Rufus put something in her drunk and that's why she refused? No. Rufus is an asshole, but he's not a rapist. He may be very forward, but he would never assault someone. 
> 
> Shelby has finally confessed her feelings to our favorite silver-haired man, and said man has confessed his as well. No smut anytime soon....this is a slow burn fic. He's a gentleman. Very much so.


End file.
